A Joker Story : The Smile On Her Face
by Moon's Envoy
Summary: This is the story about how a young thief and her little brother get picked up by Noah's Arc Circus to join in on the show. The newly dubbed Star learns all about entertaining people, and how to get along with other people. But with the dark shadow of the Circus' Father looming over them, will love be able to really conquer all?
1. First Encounter

| City of Bath, The Slums |

"Well, I'm sure glad we managed to get all of this stuff, aren't ye brother?" Dagger asked, adjusting his grip on the bags holding some of their groceries. Providing for such a large group was tough, but they managed as long as they spread their shopping needs out over a whole town.

"We got most of the stuff we were lookin' for, so I'm happy." Joker replied, showing his adopted brother a grin. They had volunteered to go to the farthest part of town to give the others a much needed rest. The bags were heavy, and he couldn't quite see where he was going.

"Well well, looks like we got us some carnies." A voice said. The two men couldn't say who was standing behind them, but the voice sounded like it belonged to a noble. A second, slightly lower voice joined in.

"And here we were thinking that we would be bored today." The carnival ring leader and the dagger throwing expert turned around. Joker glanced at Dagger while putting his bag down.

"'Ave ye got yer daggers with ye?" he asked his friend, looking at the two noblemen standing a few meters away from them. Their clothing style suggested they were from the same household. Dagger shook his head, flexing his fingers. It looked like it would turn into an old – fashioned fist fight.

That's when one of the guys pulled out a small gun. He grinned, showing off his perfect white teeth. "Now then… I wonder how we can get our fun best with these guys? I bet they won't mind giving us a free performance tonight, do you?"

"My, my…" a soft, feminine voice sounded from behind the men. "I guess you won't be needing this then?" the voice asked. The two nobles turned around, granting Joker and Dagger a look at the new person who had interrupted the moment.

The person who was standing in the light of the lantern held a wallet in her hands, shaking it around a bit. It was the same grey colour the costumes of the noblemen had. Her face was covered below a low cap, and the clothes she wore were tattered rags at best.

Still, the way she leant back against the lantern bode no good for the men she had just robbed.

"Hey, give that back, you little brat!" the man without the gun yelled at the newcomer. The girl scoffed, shoving the wallet in a back pocket.

She lifted the cap, revealing a delicate face and big round eyes. "Hey, that's Miss little brat to you, you good for nothing lowlife!" she yelled back at him. She pouted, cocking her head to the side.  
>"Since you're so mean, I think I'll be keeping this wallet to myself."<p>

The girl ran off. Without hesitation the two noblemen ran after her. Joker and Dagger looked at one another, nodded, and ran behind the threesome, knowing the girl might need help. Every time they could see the men turning around corners, the girl's voice beckoning them closer.

'That girl is mad!' Joker thought to himself. When they turned around a corner again, they could see her standing against a wall, the men closing in on her. Instead of worrying, she grabbed a rope next to her. With one swift slash of a concealed knife, she slashed the other end of the rope and shot upwards.  
>Dagger stopped running. Joker didn't bother to ask. His prosthetic was probably giving him a rough time. Running like this surely didn't do it any good. He would catch up sooner or later.<p>

"Wooooaaah!" her voice rang out. Arriving at the top, she gingerly looked for foothold. The man with the gun pointed towards a staircase. As they ran towards that, the girl continued to run across the rooftops. All the houses were built in the same flat roofed way in this part of town, so she didn't have any trouble finding foothold. Joker decided to continue from the ground. He noticed the girl was panting, but then again, so was he. After a minute or two they arrived at the end of the street. A river was flowing past the houses. As a showman Joker immediately noticed an escape route when there was one.

"Pssst!" Joker whispered, trying to get the girl's attention. Her head turned towards him, but her eyes were still covered beneath her cap. She nodded once, to show him he had her attention. He pointed towards the river, gesturing her to jump in there. She tapped a finger to her head. "Are you grazy?" she seemed to ask.

He pointed again to the river in a decisive manner. Before she could react, the noblemen had reached her. The guy with the gun pointed it at her. "Now, give us back the purse, and I won't shoot you, okay, little lady?" he sounded exasperated.

The other man leant on his knees, panting. "We're not letting her go, are we? I mean, we could have some fun with this girl!"

The man with the gun nodded. "Hear that girl? We're going to be nice to you and show you a good time. Isn't that great of us?"

The girl flipped the men the finger. They were closing in on her. Joker caught himself hoping that she would escape. He didn't doubt for a moment that the girl had pick pocketed the men to save him and Dagger.

She took a few steps to the men. Joker bit his lip when they started laughing. Then she turned around and ran to the edge. Putting a foot on the small iron railings, she launched herself to the water. The men cursed when they looked down at the water. Joker hid in the shadows, hoping that Dagger would soon show up.

"We're not jumping in there, are we?" the guy without the gun asked.

The other one grunted, putting his weapon away. "Of course we aren't. What's the point jumping in after a rat like that, even if she's got a pretty tail?"

|About two minutes later|

"'Ey girl, are ye in there?" Dagger called out into the dark water. Some splashes answered him, and the girl swam into the light.

"I'm still here. Do you guys have a rope or something?" she asked, paddling to stay in place.

Joker moaned. They'd forgotten all of their groceries. Including the supplies like ropes and stuff like that. They would have to get her out another way. He gave Dagger a hand, letting the man lower him down to the water a little bit. They were strong enough to pull it off. Still, easy was another story.

He groaned when the girl grabbed his hand, hoping his prosthetic wouldn't come off and let them dunk both in the water. She quickly added the other hand too, afraid to slip away and fall in the water again. "'Old on, we'll 'ave ye out before ye can say splash."

Dagger gave a final pull, hoisting the other two up on dry land. The girl landed on hands and knees, coughing and rubbing water from her face. Her cap slid off, revealing long, luscious locks of hair, shining in the light of the lantern posts. Still coughing she stood up, and started to wring some water out of her clothes.

"Now look at me… All wet… I hope I don't catch a cold." She said, wringing some water out of her hair. Her big eyes landed on Joker and Dagger. "Oh, you're the guys from the alleyway. Thanks for hauling me out of the water." She glared at the river. "I hate water." She murmured.

"Ah… without us, ye wouldn've been in there in the first place, right? Still, nearly scared me out of my skin seeing ye turn up all of a sudden." Dagger said, smiling.

Joker nodded. "I guess we do owe ye some thanks. Without ye, we would've ended up in a fight."

The girl grinned, and picked up her cap. Placing it on her head, she checked the back of her pants for the wallet. "Well, I'm glad we were able to help one another out then. Oh, didn't you guys have stuff with you when coming here?" she asked, looking at the men.

Joker looked away, not happy about forgetting their groceries like that. "Well, we kinda left 'em be'ind, seeing as how ye were in trouble and all."

"Real gents then, aren't you?" she said. She whistled, a loud and screeching sound that echoed around the silent streets. "Well, wait just a minute, I'll get you your stuff back." She promised.

And indeed, soon enough a couple of young street hoodlums had gathered around. One of them lifted up his cap in respect for the girl. "You whistled for us, Missus?" he asked, looking at the two strange men in suspicion.

"That I did, Roger. The grocery bags that were near the Fisher's street, do you guys have them?" she asked, looking at the young man.

"Ah… yes." He admitted. He was used to stealing for a living, and when seeing a good opportunity, he and his friends made off with the loot faster than their victim's could blink. "I s'pose you want us to return them to these men here?" he asked, catching on rather fast. His gang had the bags with them, and showed up with the stuff hurriedly. More than one had gotten a spanking from the girl for not listening to her, and they weren't volunteers for another one.

"That everything you lost?" she asked, looking at the two carnival folks. The men nodded, and she let out a relieved sigh. She patted Roger on the head, and flipped each of the boys a coin. The boys were always eager to help her out. She made sure that their rewards were sufficient to ensure it.

Joker looked at the slightly smaller girl. "Well, it was nice meeting ye. 'Ave a good night." She nodded, and bade them a goodnight too. Quicker than a shadow she and the boys were gone, leaving Joker and Dagger standing alone on the street.

"Well, that was a surprise." Dagger commented, trying to get a bigger grip on his bag. Joker nodded. Both of the men walked away, not giving much thought to the young girl or her thieving comrades. Little did they know they would be seeing her soon again.

|The Girl's Home|

"I'm home!" she yelled, opening and closing the door quickly, so the precious warmth wouldn't be wasted. A small shape scrambled up from the worn – out sofa, and dark brown eyes looked up at her. "You're late, big sis." The voice of her little brother sounded sleepy. He had once again been waiting until she came home before he went to sleep.

She smiled. "I am sorry. I ran into some trouble on the way home. On the bright side, big sis did manage to earn some money today." The little boy got up. His eighth birthday would be in a week, but he was already so much more mature than she was.

When he was close enough, he grabbed the ragged pants she was wearing, looking up at her with a serious face. "Enough to pay for medicine?" he asked, sounding worried.

She bent over, picking the boy up. "Enough for medicine." She said.

The boy frowned at her. "It's not good for a lady to not use full sentences."

She put him down in the sofa again, and threw a piece of wood on the fire. "True, but I'm not a lady anymore. I can say what I want how I want now." The boy kept frowning at her. She smiled, and sat next to him. "With the money I got today, there's enough to last for three days. And, since your birthday is coming up, why don't we go to the circus? It's in town for a while, but I don't know for how long. The sooner we go, the better, right?"

George looked up at her in that serious manner of his. "I'd rather that you save the money, sis. It's dangerous, going out like that for a girl. If you save it, you won't have to go out at night like that anymore."

She smiled, and sat next to him in the sofa. She pulled up the blankets to his chin as he snuggled closer to her. "George… I'll treat my little brother to the circus whenever I want. No more buts, okay? Big sis worked hard again today. Tomorrow it's our time for a break."

She realized her clothes were still damp, not to say soaked. With a sigh she got up. George was already drifting off into sleep. With a sigh she peeled the wet, old sweater from her body, soon followed by her shirt and pants. Taking out the money she had stolen from the noblemen, her gaze fell on George again. He had been coughing all day again.

She dropped down on one of the two chairs they possessed, holding her hands against her head, trying to relax. How much longer would they be able to hold on? How much longer, until the day came that she couldn't buy the medicine for the boy anymore simply by going out stealing?

Perhaps she could forget her worries the following day…

|Noah's Ark Circus|

"And how did you say you got your prosthetics all in messed up again?" the Doc asked as he adjusted Dagger's fake leg once more. Dagger let out a hiss when the prosthetic connected with fragile nerves, before swinging the leg around.

"Well, let's just say that we saved a young lass from a gruesome fate, right brother?" Dagger asked Joker. Joker tapped his hat with a finger, and nodded.

"That's exactly what 'appened." When Dagger stood up, Joker took his place in the doc's chair.

"Ah, is my arm fixed again, Doc?" he asked, trying to peer behind the man in the wheelchair, to see where his custom arm was.

Doc sighed, and reached behind him, pulling out the skeleton – like arm. "I wish you didn't insist on using this kind of arm." Doc sighed for the umpteenth time. Making the arm was a bother, compared to the limbs he made for the other troupe members.

Joker smiled, leaning on his healthy arm while the doctor removed the more normal prosthetic he had been using while waiting for his regular arm. Dagger sat next to him, and grinned. "Still, the girl we saved was pretty cute, don'tcha think, brother?"

Joker looked at him with a sly smile. "Are ye moving yer sights away from Beast then?" he asked in a teasing way.

Dagger paled, and started shaking his head ferociously. "No! Big sis it my one and only love! I'll never give up!"

Joker nodded, and moved the newly attached prosthetic. Pleased to see the fingers move, he got up and clapped Dagger on the back. "Well, better 'it the sack now. Tomorrow's another show, and we've got our work to do!"


	2. Meeting Again

|Noah's Ark Circus|

"Come on George, we haven't got all day." She said, holding the little boy by the hand. The soon to be eight – year old couldn't conceal his excitement, and stood baffled at all the action that was taking place.

"Sis, they've got a tiger over there, did you see it?" George asked, pointing towards it. She sighed. "If we're late for the show, we might miss out on some really good parts. Why don't we continue looking when it's time for the intermission?"

She turned away from the boy, but bumped into someone. "Ouch…" she rubbed her nose, before looking up at the person she had bumped into. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you, I was…" her voice trailed away when she looked at the person in front of her. He had white hair, and parts of his skin were covered in scales.

George looked up too. "Woah, this is so amazing. You're the snake man, right?"

The girl scoffed. "George, it's not nice to call people something like that!" she said, frowning at the boy.

George pouted. "But it's true, isn't it, mister?"

She turned towards the man. "Please forgive him Sir. He means no offense."

"That's alright… Says Emily." The man answered in a soft voice.

The girl blinked. "Emily?" she asked, not seeing a girl around. The man gestured to his shoulder. Only now did she see the snake coiled up there.

"Emily." He explained in short.

"Is that a real snake?" she asked, moving closer to see it. The snake hissed at her, flicking it's tongue through the air.

She backed away. "Fine, point taken. No looking at the snake."

"Big sis, we've got to get moving. They're calling everybody inside. The show's going to start." George said, tugging at her sleeve. Looking around, she did notice everybody moving towards the big tent. She nodded, but when she turned around to say goodbye to the stranger, he was already gone.

She scratched her head in confusement. "Guess he had to run…"

"Sis…"  
>"Yes George?"<br>"You have to use full sentences."

She rolled her eyes at that comment. "Well fine, young master of etiquette. Let's go inside and enjoy the show, okay?"

|Inside the tent|

"Ladies and gentlemeeeeeen, boys and girrrrls. I ask of ye to take a gander over here, since this circus is packed with acts and people bound to amaze ye." The ringleader called out, clearly audible above all of the ruckus in the tent. He had his arms stretched out wide, showing off a skeletal right arm. She frowned when she saw him.

"Why does he look so familiar?" she wondered to herself. In the past half hour, she had started to feel a little bit fuzzy in her head. When she had gotten up that morning, her head had felt warm to the touch. Not wanting to alarm George, she had said nothing of it, and carried on like usual.

The ringleader juggled a bit, but ended up letting the balls fall on his head. She couldn't help but laughing, even though she knew it was probably on purpose.  
>"May I introduce to ye… Wendy and Peeeteeeeer!"<p>

Just as amazed as anyone else, she looked up at the trapeze act, clapping just as loudly as the other people in the public. George grabbed her sleeve in fear when the girl called Wendy just barely managed to grab the hand of the boy called Peter.  
>When the dagger throwing act began, a rather good natured man showed up, together with a young girl, who didn't seem too sure of herself when entering. When the man started throwing daggers, the public collectively held its breath, waiting for the girl to scream. When the act was over, he received a very generous applause. George clapped until his hands were numb, as did his sister.<p>

When the ringleader announced the next performer – "Snaaaaake, ladies and gentlemeeeeen!" – George grabbed his big sister's arm in excitement. "Sis, it's that guy from before, I told you he was a snake man!"

Her head started to hurt from being shaken back and forth, so she gently peeled the boy's hands loose from her arm. "I see that too, little brother. Keep your eyes on the show." She whispered the last part, turning his head towards the stage.  
>The snakes didn't seem like they would hurt the man, but she couldn't stop thinking about the hiss that the other snake had let out previously. She wasn't sure if it was really that safe.<p>

When the dance was over, the ringleader stepped in again, his cane raised above his head as he walked in the stage again. His bright yellowish bow tie clashed in a stupendous way with his mostly purple attire.  
>He bowed from the waist down, bringing down his hat with a generous sweep. "And now, my dear audience, it's time for a rest. Stretch ye legs, and we'll start with the next part of the show soon."<p>

The people in the audience started murmuring amongst themselves, as they got up and walked around a bit. George was just about to get up himself when a foot suddenly kicked his sister in the back. "Hey, watch it!" she yelled, turning around.

Behind her were two men, dressed in grey suits. They turned their heads away in order to ignore her, until the taller one suddenly rested his eyes on her face. He nudged his partner with an elbow. "Say, Alfred, isn't that the girl that robbed us yesterday?" he asked his companion.

The man called Alfred turned around, and started grinning when he saw her. "Well well, it is! What luck we have today. C'mere girl, let us have a – Hey, get back here!"

She hadn't waited for the man to finish his talking. Grabbing George by the hand, she started to run, using the benches for stairs. The fragile young boy had trouble keeping up, forcing her to half lift him with one had. "George!" she said, while she kept running. "When we're down, I'm go to let go off you! Run away, and then return to our seats, Sis will come get you later."

Before the boy could protest, they were already down. The men were coming after them, but they weren't nearly as agile as the girl. She let go of her brother, and shot off, over the wide circle that was filled with sand.

"Okay, improvise, improvise…" she thought to herself, running over the center stage. From the corner of her eye, she happened to catch a glimpse of movement. Looking closer, she saw it was the place where the artists entered from when they had to perform. 'Well, it's worth a shot!' she thought, taking a sharp turn towards there.  
>The men who were chasing after here had the luck that they now had a chance to intercept her. She ran faster, towards her presumed exit.<p>

The young man called Dagger saw her coming, and put out a hand to stop her. "Pardon me, miss, but ye can't go in there. Miss! Ye can't – !"

He was in the way, and she didn't have the time to dodge him. Wishing that it would work, she let herself drop in a slide below him. She slid underneath his open legs, dust trailing after her. When she was past him, she scrambled back on her feet. The men were almost near her.

Dagger, seeing the other intruders coming, started to flail his arms around to try to catch their attention. "'Ey, I can't let ye pass beyond this point!"

The men ignored him, running past Dagger, their eyes fixated on their fleeing prey. When the girl looked back in front of her, she almost tripped in surprise. While she had been focusing on sliding beneath that dagger throwing guy, the circus attendees were coaxing an elephant inside. The animal was blocking her way out.  
>Biting her lip, she scanned for another way out. Seeing none, she started to panic, until she spotted a collection of trampolines standing there.<p>

'Well, here goes nothing!' she thought, taking a jump on the smallest one. It propelled her up in the air, up and towards a slightly bigger one. Waving her arms around to try and stay in balance, she landed on the second trampoline. Immediately she was launched up again, and she stifled a scream. 'Okay, now I'm just going to jump on the big one…'

She jumped on the big trampoline, gaining slight confidence. She flew through the air, towards the elephant. 'Oh please, please, let me make this jump!' she prayed. Seconds later her feet touched the back of the elephants head. The animal didn't even acknowledge her presence there. His handlers weren't so oblivious however.

"Get offa there, you idiot!" someone yelled at her.

She grimaced. Calling her an idiot now wasn't a nice thing to do, she felt. However, she didn't have time to yell at the insulter, seeing as how she had to hurry before they removed the elephant from this exit. She ran over the animal's back , her soft leather shoes clapping on the dry skin.  
>Arriving at its backside, she again had to pause to look for an exit. When she noticed a pile of sand sacks, she guessed it was her best bet. She jumped, and spurted off again.<p>

|Joker's Tent|

He looked in the mirror, adjusting his bow tie. The thing somehow always managed to get loose, which resulted in it hanging limp. Hearing ruckus outside, he opened his tent flap to see what was going on. To his surprise, he saw a girl running through the first string's tent encampment. He frowned. Just what was going on?

Then he noticed two well – dressed gentlemen running a long ways behind her. His frown turned into a scowl. Those two he recognized immediately. When the girl passed his tent, he stuck out his left arm, wrapping it around her waist. She let out an 'oomph' sound when the air was driven out of her. Without wasting time he pulled her inside. He moved his left hand to her mouth, to keep her from screaming, while he used his skeletal hand to keep her in place by placing it around her.

The girl started to squirm immediately. Being caught so suddenly was something she hadn't expected, and she struggled to escape the man holding her. He was strong however, and she was already feeling exhausted from running in combination with her oncoming fever. "WET GWO!" she yelled against his hand. He made 'ssshh' sounds, trying to calm her down. She shook her head. She wasn't planning on just idly letting him hurt her.

Then her nose started tickling. She stopped moving, instead twitching her nose, trying not to sneeze. Joker let out a relieved sigh. Finally she got that he wasn't trying to hurt her. That's when he noticed her nose twitching. "Girl, ye need to sneeze?" he asked.

She nodded the best she could. Just when she sneezed, the man closed his fingers around her nose. She kept in her sneeze the best she could, trying to be quiet. She didn't want to face three opponents, instead of just the one. Joker's fingers shut off most of the air, and she gulped for air afterwards.

"Haaah… haaah…" she breathed in and out loudly. The man let go of her face, placing his hand on her shoulder instead. She didn't struggle again, instead taking it easy for a few seconds. "Okay… who are you?" she asked. She relied on the heavy fabric the tent was made out of to seal of any sounds. As long as she didn't scream, nobody would hear her.

"Well, I'm Joker. And ye would be?" he replied, seemingly happy that she had calmed down a bit.

"Joker huh?" she asked, finally noticing the mirror that was standing in front of them. She could see the man's reflection in there. It was the ringleader, but yet again, there was something familiar about him. "Wait a minute…" she said. "Ginger hair with white tips, those metal studs in your ears… you're that guy from yesterday!"

She almost started laughing in relief. And here she had been thinking it was some kind of creepy guy that was trying to kidnap her! "Boy, I never thought I'd run into you again!"

Joker's face was a mixture of confusement and surprise. 'Yesterday?' he asked, looking at the girl that had now completely relaxed in the grip of his arms. "The only girl I ran into yesterday was…"

He let go of her, and turned her around, making the girl face him. He pulled of his hat, and placed it so on her head that it covered her eyes and part of her face. Then he started laughing, and clapped her on the shoulder. "Well waddaya know! Ain't this a nice surprise?" he took his hat back, placing it on his head.  
>He offered her his right hand. "Nice to see ye again, miss."<p>

She looked at the strangely shaped prosthetic doubtingly, but then she shrugged and grabbed it, shaking hands with the man. "Nice to see you again too, I guess." She answered, not being sure how to react to all of this. When he released her hand, she gasped. "George! I need to go check on my brother, please excuse me!"

Joker grabbed her hand. "Shouldn't ye stay here for a spell? Those men are probably still looking for ye. I'll ask someone to go and look for yer brother, so just stay here for a while."

"Ah, but, George is only seven. He'll be worried about me. I really need to –"

She stopped talking when he raised her hand to his lips. Brushing slightly over her skin, his voice was hardly audible. "Please, leave it to me." He said, trusting that his charm would keep her in place for a few minutes.

Her face flushed. It wasn't the first time a man had kissed her hand, but for it to happen in such an unexpected place… How embarrassing…

"Joker, are ye in 'ere?" Dagger asked, opening the tent flap. Next to him was George, who immediately started fuming when he saw the ringleader kiss his big sis's hand. He ran up to the man, and kicked him against his shins. Joker cursed, letting go of her hand.

"You can't just kiss my sis like that!" the boy said, giving the tall man a stern look. "She's a lady, you know."

The girl sighed, and tapped her little brother on the shoulder. "Even if you say that, George, it wasn't really a kiss." She said, trying to cool down the younger boy's feelings.

Joker looked at Dagger, wanting an explanation. Dagger rubbed the back of his head, smiling. "Well, this kid 'ere came running to me sayin' 'is sister was in trouble, so I came to ye. Seems ye already found 'er though."

Joker nodded, grasping the situation. "I see. And those guys chasing 'er?" he asked, not liking people running wildly around the circus grounds.

"Ah, it seems like Jumbo took care of 'em. Wasn't too 'appy about them runnin' round like that either."

Dagger turned towards her, holding out a hand for her to shake. When she did, he started smiled even broader. "Now that's all passed, I've gotta admit, that was a pretty sensational act ye put on there. Do ye always do those kinds of things?"

The young thief held her hands out in front of her, shaking her head. "Ah, that's just… The slide to dodge you was just a lucky thing, and the trampolines were just part of the improvisation."

"Trampolines? Slide?" Joker asked, putting a hand to his chin and looking at her, examining.

Dagger clapped him on the back. "That's not all there's to it. Then she ran over Lola – the elephant – an' jumped off on the other side, before she ran all the way 'ere."

Joker started nodded, a smile spreading on his face. "Well, that's just great then. I was lookin' for another performer. Congratulations girl, ye're now officially ready for a try – out to join the circus."

Her eyes widened when he said that. "Eeeh?"

Dagger patted her head. "Ain't that great, lil' girl? If ye do yer best, ye can come and work 'ere." She frowned, and rubbed his hands away from her head.

"Where do you guys come off, enlisting me to work in the circus?" she asked.

Joker winked at her, adjusting his hat. "Ye're not enlisted just yet." He said. "Ye've still gotta try to pass our tests. Well, I've got to go. Show ain't gonna start without me. Dagger, take care of 'er 'till after the show, okay?"

Dagger grinned. "Will do." He placed a hand on her shoulder, and a hand on George's. "Well then, I'll give ye the grand tour, 'kay?"


	3. An Unwilling Star

|Half An Hour Later|

"An' that was pretty much all of it, I think." Dagger concluded, placing his hands in his hips and smiling broadly. "Well, 'cept for the first aid tent, but I don't think ye two need to be in there, right?"

The thief shook her head, trying to ignore the pounding in her head. She needed to get some rest, soon. "I don't think that will be necessary. Look, I don't want to be rude, but –"

"Ah, come on!" Dagger interrupted, grabbing the siblings by the arm. "Beast's going to go on last. I can't miss that!" he pulled them towards the big tent. She and George trotted behind him helplessly. She had tried to tell him that she wasn't interested in joining, but he didn't listen. When they got inside, Dagger pulled her closer to the screen. She could swear the man had started to emit little flying hearts when he looked at the woman that was performing now.

"Ain't she beautiful?" he asked sighingly. When the thief looked, she had more the impression that this was a woman who wouldn't hesitate to skin a person that was in the wrong place.

As she swung her whip around to guide the tiger around, the young thief gulped. 'I really don't want to get on her wrong side…' she thought.

"Pretty as a picture." She said out loud, trying not to seem worried. She jumped up when someone laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Fidgety, aren't ye?" Joker asked, laughing when she looked back to see who it was. "Let me introduce ye to some o' the first string members." He said, already walking off, expecting her to follow.

"First string?" she asked, following the man, realizing resistance was useless. These people… how did they develop such an air where they could waltz over people, disregarding them completely? George followed, holding her hand and looking around with big eyes.

"This 'ere's Wendy and Peter." He said, pointing at the trapeze duo. She smiled and waved faintly at them. They eyed her in a suspicious way, making her feel dejected at even trying to blend in with this crowd.

"This 'ere's Snake, but he's a bit shy, so don't expect him to warm up to ye from the start." He said, stopping by the snake man.

The man looked at her, and so did the snake on his shoulder. "Nice to see you again… says Emily." He said.

She laughed nervously. "Nice to see you two again too, Snake and Emily." She replied.

Joker seemed surprised. "Ah, ye already met this girl 'ere, Snake. That's fast of ye." Snake said nothing, looking at the two of them.

Eventually the thief started to scratch the back of her head nervously. "We bumped into each other before the show started. So, that's how we met." She explained. Her vision was turning blurry. If only she could keep focusing…

Joker grabbed her by the arm, pulling her forward. George, who was holding her arm, was yanked along too. She bit her lip, trying not to snarl at the man who dared to be so…. So…. She couldn't find a word to describe this kind of behavior.  
>He stopped walking, tapping his cane to his lip softly. "That's weird… I was sure that Doll and Jumbo would be around 'ere somewhere…"<p>

"Sheesh… you still didn't answer my question." The girl said, glaring at the man.

He looked at her and smiled, a broad smile that showed all of his teeth. "Ah, I didn't? Why didn't ye say so? …. What was yer question again?" he asked, getting a confused look on his face.

"I asked…" she said slowly, hoping that he would listen this time, "what are first string members?"

Joker nodded. "Ah, right. Well, those are the people who perform in every show we give, and they get a private tent, and don't 'ave to compete for food. Everybody 'ere works hard in the hope of bein' promoted to the first string. If ye get hired, ye'll start out as a second string member."

"Ah, about that…" she started, to no avail. Joker had spotted a very tall man, talking to a girl who was wearing a wig made of white flowers. One of her eyes was covered by the them. The other eye focused on Joker, who beckoned them closer.

"Ah, Doll, Jumbo! I've got someone ye need to meet." He said, pulling the thief closer to him with the arm he had used to drag her along. She struggled at once to get out of his grip. One of the things she disliked was being touched by strangers. She had been tolerant so far, but there had to be some decorum.

"Ah, who's this then?" Doll asked, looking on interested as the stranger struggled to get out of her big brother's grip. Joker smiled, releasing his grip. The girl took a few steps to the side, to make sure she was out of grabbing range.

"This might be our newest recruit!" Joker said smiling. "Once she passes the test, that is." He added. Doll nodded knowingly, still peering at the possible new recruit. The thief didn't look away, but kept staring back, not about to be intimidated. After a minute of awkward silence Doll stopped staring, and gave an approving nod.

"I like her!" she said. Then her look landed on George. "Oh, there's a kid here too! Are ye hiring him too?" she asked, bending down to look at George. The small boy looked up at his big sis first, before bowing for Doll, taking her hand and kissing it.

Joker glanced down at the boy. "Oh, so it's okay when ye're the one doing the kissin', eh? And I guess we can always use an extra hand around 'ere. Can't abandon 'im when we hire his sister, after all."

The thief took the opportunity to object again to her oncoming employment. "Now listen, I tried telling you, I –"

"Ah, seems like the show's over. I need to go and tell the audience bye. Doll, bring the girl and the boy in a few minutes, 'kay?"

The girl sweatdropped when Joker walked away. "He just ignored me… again…" she said, not believing this was happening. Somebody patted her shoulder. When she looked who it was, she looked into the one eye of Doll.

"Don't worry about it. Joker's probably sensin' that ye don't want to join us, so 'e's probably going to wait until after the try –out. He doesn't want to miss out on talent, after all."  
>The thief sighed, looking at George who was now holding Doll's hand. The boy seemed to be happy to be able to get out again, even though he had been sick for a long while now.<p>

"It's just that…" the girl started, stopping halfway her sentence. She couldn't say what it was that made her so unwilling to join the circus. Perhaps a last shred of remaining pride? Still, if she did join, she wouldn't have to worry about getting enough money without arousing suspicion. Doll looked at her in anticipation. When the thief shrugged, she did the same. The tall man, Jumbo, just looked at everyone without really saying anything.

|10 Minutes Later|

"Okay, up on the tight rope ye go." Joker said, pointing up at the tightrope. When the thief looked up, she gulped. Just how high was that thing? Doll was already climbing up, more than halfway there. Just when she was about to protest about how she didn't want to join, Dagger pushed her towards the ladder. She started to walk on her own accord, not liking to be touched.

"Good luck, big sis." George said. He looked up at her in a manner that almost melted her heart. She nodded, climbing up on the small ladder.

When she reached the top, she was panting. Looking at the delicate Doll, she couldn't believe she did this every time. When she told her so, Doll shrugged, pulling out a rope. The thief eyed it suspiciously. "What's that for? Not some creepy kind of bondage, I hope."

Doll chuckled. "Of course not. If ye fall off, this is the thing that'll keep ye from dying. Lemme adjust this for ye. Oh, and take of yer shoes."

Doll adeptly tied the rope around the thief, pulling it tight to make sure it wouldn't get looser in a few seconds. Doll gave her the thumbs up, and gestured towards the rope. The young thief gulped again. 'I don't even want to be here!' her thought went. Still, it would probably be easier to just walk, fall of after a while and get rejected by Joker then going down and trying to explain.

Probably.

She placed her first foot on the rope. It was pretty thick, but still awfully thin for someone to walk upon at such heights. Adding her other foot, she realized it wasn't that bad. She let out a relieved sigh. This was nothing compared to walking on slippery rooftops on the middle of winter.  
>She took another three steps. It wasn't that bad at all.<br>Still, after a few meters, the rope started swinging back and forth alarmingly. She understood now why… the further she was from the platforms, the less support the rope had. Soon she'd be swaying even more.

To make matters worse, she was starting to feel very hot. She didn't dare bring a hand to her cheeks, but she felt like she was burning up. 'Nothing like getting feverish when you're only a few meters away from a death drop.' She thought, taking another step. The rough rope felt unpleasant against her feet. More annoyingly, she started to see double. When she lifted her foot for another step, she couldn't decided where to put her foot.  
>That moment of indecisiveness was enough. She lost her balance, and fell.<p>

|On The Ground, Five Minutes Ago|

Joker looked up together with Dagger and Snake. He nodded. "I told ye she'd be good." He said to Dagger.

Dagger rolled his eyes when he heard that. "Oh please. I was the one to tell ye about 'er." The men kept on boasting to one another until Beast walked up.

"What's all the commotion 'bout?" she asked Joker.

The ringleader pointed up, towards where the young thief was walking the rope. "There's a girl there tryin' out. She's doing pretty good so far." Joker said, looking back up and crossing his arms over one another.

Beast looked up too, a small pang of jealousy crossing her heart when Joker called another girl good. Every day, she wished for his eyes to be only on her…  
>She couldn't help but smirk when the girl started falling. That made her feel guilty though. To take joy in something like that… "Seems like the girl isn't that good…" she couldn't help but remark when the girl grabbed the tightrope with one hand.<p>

Joker seemed disappointed too. "Ah… and 'ere I was thinkin' that I found us a good one. Guess she ain't special after all."

George looked up to all the grown – ups talking about his sister like that. He frowned, and kicked Joker's shins again. "Don't talk about big sis like that! She's the best big sister in the whole world!"

Joker cursed, grabbing his assaulted shin again. "Why ye little… what's that for?"

George looked up at the man, looking pained at having to defend his sister, even though it should be obvious that she was an amazing person. "Somebody like you couldn't understand how special my big sis is… Because she… she gave up everything, for me!"

George turned around, putting his hands around his mouth and yelling up, hoping his big sister would hear him. "Big sis! Don't let go of that rope! Show them that you're the best! I like it here, and I want to stay, so show them who's the best big sister in the whole world."

|On The Tightrope|

Her hand hurt when she caught the rope. She didn't even know why she had done so, only that her reflexes had enabled her to do so. There was a blush on her cheeks as she held on. She couldn't think straight, so she kept hanging there. Doll tugged on the rope, drawing her attention when the knot around her waist was moving.

She directed her look towards the tightrope walker. "Let go of the rope, and I'll pull ye up here, 'kay?" the doll – like girl said. When the thief didn't answer, the girl squinted. "Ye don't look to good. Better let go of the rope."

"Big sis! Don't let go of that rope! Show them that you're the best! I like it here, and I want to stay, so show them who's the best big sister in the whole world."

The thief looked down when she heard George's voice. Thought the boy was only a small speck, she couldn't help but chuckle. "So, it's like that, huh?" she said. She lifted her other hand towards the tightrope, grabbing it.  
>'I've been working so hard these past four years… I guess one last effort can't hurt.' She thought. She started to swing her legs, moving back and forth, until she had enough momentum to swing up on the rope. She landed, wobbly on her legs.<p>

Determined not to fall again, she started to move forward again. She held out her arms as far to the sides as she could. 'I won't fall again. I won't fall.' She kept mumbling it as a mantra, not looking down, but only straight ahead.  
>She reached the other platform. Instead of dropping to her knees, she grabbed the ladder and glided down on it, fast and reckless.<p>

The troupe members down on the ground rushed to her when she landed firmly on the ground. She looked at Joker defiantly, pointing a finger at him. "Got any more tasks, pretty boy?" she asked him, feeling weary but at the same time energetic.

Joker sweatdropped. "Pr..Pretty boy?" he asked, pointing at himself. When he looked at Dagger, the man shrugged. "Are ye sure ye're alright? That doesn't seem like something ye'd say." He commented, even though he only knew the girl for an hour or three.

Doll turned up behind him, pulling him by the arm towards the thief. "Of course she's not okay. Feel this." She said, slapping Joker's left hand on the girl's forehead.

She sighed, grabbing Joker's hand. "Ah, that's nice and cool…" she pressed his hand firmer against her scorching forehead.

"Ah, she's havin' a fever." Joker said, suddenly understanding. The girl's knees buckled from underneath her, barely giving Joker the time to catch her. Her little brother stood next to her, shaking her arm.

"Hey, sis? Sis?"

The girl removed Joker's hands from her body, before turning to her brother. She smiled, a red hue on her cheeks. "I'm fine George… Let's go home now, I'm feeling tired."

Dagger grabbed her by the shoulders, putting a hand to her forehead as well. "Ye're burning up! We should get ye to Doc!"

"I… don't want… to…" she said, pulling away from him.

Dagger didn't listen, grabbing her by one arm. "Joker! Snake!" he said.

The other two men nodded. Snake grabbed her by the legs, and Joker grabbed her other arm. "Hey… what the hell do you think you're doing?" she yelled, trying to kick. It was no use though. Her body had grown weak with the fever. She stopped struggling, allowing the men to carry her.

|First Aid Tent|

"That was pretty dangerous of you, to go walking on a tightrope while you're sick." The doctor said, handing her a glass of water and a pill. The young thief looked at the older man, accepting the offered items. Without talking, she put the pill in her mouth, and took a gulp of water. George, Joker, Dagger and Beast were standing next to her as she sat in the chair.

"Thanks." She said, not happy with the way things had turned out. "But I wasn't sick this morning. It only started when I got here."

George pulled her sleeve."Sis…" he said. When she looked at him, he frowned at her. "A lady doesn't go around calling men 'pretty boy'" the boy said.

Her eyes widened. "Eh… what? When did I say that?" she asked in a panic.

The woman called Beast stepped up, glaring at her while pointing at Joker. "Ye said it to 'im. I'm wondering… why?"

The thief sweatdropped. 'Scary…' she thought. Looking at the ringleader, she shook her head furiously. "I swear, I didn't do it!"

Joker smiled at her. "I'm glad for the compliment." He said, looking in her eyes.

The girl blushed. "Don't you start getting any wrong ideas! I was just being feverish, and so I didn't know what I was saying!"

Dagger clapped her on the back, nearly making her choke in the rest of her water. What was wrong with these people? "So that's the reason ye almost fell of the rope. An' we was thinkin' that ye just screwed up. Even made a great comeback at that."

Beast was still glaring at her. The girl felt like screaming and running away from that utterly nasty look. "Look, thanks for the medicine, but we really should be going." She said, getting up. Before she got far, Dagger pulled her back in the chair, forcing her to sit.

"Not so fast now, little lady." He said. "Joker's still gotta say wether ye passed or not."

Joker nodded, looking at the thief that was sitting in the doctor's chair. "Yes, I still need to tell 'er how she did. Well, ye passed alright. Now for yer stage name –"

"My what?"

"Yer stage name, the name I'll announce ye with if ye ever perform. Don't interrupt me." She glared at him when he said that. All the times that he had interrupted her that day, and now she couldn't do the same to him?  
>"As I was sayin', yer stage name. I was thinking of callin' ye Stubborn, since that's a name that perfect for ye. Still, it doesn't have a great ring to it…"<p>

"Aren't I glad you decided against that."

She muttered. He ignored her, and continued, pointing a finger at her. "From now on, yer name will be Star."

"Star?" she asked, feeling somehow relieved the name was slightly normal.

"Star?" Dagger said, grinning broadly. "That's actually a pretty good name"

Joker frowned. "'Course it is. All the names I give are good."

Beast grimaced. "Welcome… Star."

The doctor said nothing, watching the scene unfold as George nodded his approval of the name.

"Oh, an' Star." Joker said, waiting for her to look at him. "Since ye didn't exactly finished the try – out, I'm considerin' this a probation. So ye'd better live up to yer name."

The newly – dubbed Star looked at the ringleader doubtingly. "Just watch it, I'm going to outshine even you!"


	4. A New Family?

|Morning|

"'Ow are ye feeling?" a voice asked her. Star blinked, slowly opening her eyes. She felt a little better, although she still had a killer headache. A person with brown hair and freckles looked at her. Their hair was hanging in front of one eye.

"Fine, I guess… Who are you?" she asked, getting up, rubbing her bangs away from her face.

The other person smiled, and held out a hand to her. "My name's Freckles. I'm yer roommate. Well, ye and yer brother's. Joker didn't feel like splittin' the two of ye up."

Star looked around, trying to see where her brother was. Freckles noticed, and pointed up. Star saw she was lying in a bunk bed. "He's sleeping up there?" she asked the young man.

Freckles nodded, before placing a hand to her head. "Yer fever's gone. That's good news. I brought ye some grub, better enjoy it. It's the first and only time I'm doin' it." The boy shoved some lukewarm porridge and a few slices of bread in her hands. She accepted gratefully, eating as if she hadn't eaten in two days. Freckles laughed when he saw that. "Well, ye got yer appetite back, so ye'll be fine."

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and nodded. "Thanks for taking care of me." She looked down at the half – eaten bowl of porridge, looking melancholic. "It doesn't happen a lot, meeting people who are kind to others."

Freckles smiled again, waving her thanks away. "What are ye talking about? Ye're the one who saved Joker an' Dagger. This is the least to repay ye. Ah, better get dressed though. Gotta go and pack up soon."

Star finished the last of her meal, and looked up at Freckles. "Pack up?"

Freckles nodded, scratching the back of his head. "Well yeah. Joker decided that since those two gents keep makin' trouble, it'll be better if we get a move on."

Star let out a dejected sigh. "Ah, I'm sorry…"

Freckles gave her a hard pat on the shoulder. "What are ye talkin' about, I already said it's fine. Get dressed and come outside."

Star nodded. "Okay!"

|3 Hours Later|

"How much more of this stuff is there?" Star asked, leaning against some wooden sticks that were used to pitch up the tents. George was sitting with Doc, looking at everyone work. Freckles looked up, seeing her take a breather.

"Hey, ye got to keep working! We're almost ready, really!"

With a grunt Star lifted a bunch of wooden sticks. "That's what you said an hour ago. I didn't believe it then and I'm not going to believe it now."  
>She turned around, not waiting for Freckles to reply. However, she hadn't counted on there being someone standing there. With a thump she fell on her backside, the wooden sticks scattered on the ground. She shielded her eyes from the pale sun as she looked up.<p>

"Ah, are ye sure ye should be working? Ye've been sick, after all." Joker said, offering a hand to help her up.

She ignored it, getting up on her own as she started to pick up the sticks. "I'm fine, thanks."

Joker put a hand on her shoulder, looking worried. "Are ye sure? It'd be bad if we were to lose our new up'n 'coming star."

She looked over her shoulder to the ginger haired man. "I'm fine. If I let something like this put me down, I wouldn't have managed so long on my own."

He let go of her, sensing that she didn't like to be touched. 'Finally…' she thought. She wasn't ungrateful… but being touched was… useless. Instead he gestured to some of the already packed up tents. "I just wanted to tell ye, I took the liberty yesterday to go with yer brother to pick up all of yer stuff."

She blinked when he said that. "What?"

"Well, ye can't just leave yer home without the stuff that's important to ye." He said with a smile. He fished a square medallion out of his pocket, dangling it in front of her. "Yer brother said that ye really liked this. I've got yer other trinkets stashed with my stuff, so it won't get lost."

When Star accepted the locket, Joker looked at her. He had seen the place she had lived. Though it was better than the streets where he had grown up, it was obvious she had had a rough time. Amidst the run down furniture however, her brother had pulled out a box filled with jewels…

|The Previous Day|

_"It's here, Mister Joker!" the boy said, pulling Joker's cape towards the front door. The horse they had ridden was stationed in front of the house, securely tied to a rain pipe. Joker could sense the look the housewives gave him from behind their windows as he stood in front of the decrepit house. When he touched the door knob, the door didn't budge._

_"Did ye bring a key with ye?" he asked George. _

_The boy shrugged, and motioned Joker to move aside. "You don't need a key, Mister Joker. Here, I'll show you." The boy smacked his shoulder against the door, making it move slightly. Then he pulled, making the door slide again. Finally, he turned the knob, opening the door._

_"See?" the young boy asked. "Sis made it like that so people wouldn't be able to get in without us hearing."_

_Joker nodded and followed the boy inside. It was cold in the house, the fire having gone out the day before. The darkness that followed from the blinds in front of the windows was slightly unsettling. The young boy however, walked around in the darkness with ease, first taking a small box out of a cupboard.  
>"These here are my pills. We really need to take these, because they're expensive." The boy said, handing Joker the box. <em>

_Joker nodded. "What about clothes? Yer sis is gonna need some clothes for workin'." The boy nodded, and went to search around. He came back with a small suitcase and a jewel box. "The trinkets of yer sister?" he asked._

_George nodded. When Joker turned to leave, the young boy stopped him, grabbing his cape again. "What's wrong?" he asked. George pointed up towards a shelf._

_"Sister's medallion is up there. It's important to her, so can you take it?"_

_Joker walked towards the shelf, feeling around with his left hand to try and locate the medallion. When he touched cold metal, he sighed in satisfaction. When he had it in his hands, he put the medicine box down. The medallion opened up with a click. In it was a picture of a George that couldn't be older than three._

_On the other side it seemed like the small picture had been pulled out violently. When he looked at George questioningly, the young boy smiled. "Big sis was angry at our parents when she pulled their photo out. She screamed at daddy. That was before they died."_

_Joker nodded, closing the medallion. "I'll make sure that our Star gets it back. Let's get goin' then, little man."_

|Present Time|

Star put the medallion around her neck, and looked at Joker. Perhaps she always looked so serious because she had lost her parents? He would have to get her to smile if she was ever to perform however. She bowed her head down to him. "Thanks." She said.

Joker chuckled at her sudden embarrassment. "Hey, that's what pretty boys are for." That remark earned him a glare from the former thief.

"Can you please drop that? I didn't know what I was saying!"

He chuckled again, not being able to keep himself from doing it. "Yer face is absolutely amusing when ye're glaring like that. I'm startin' to consider having ye be my co – ringleader."

Star sighed. "Please don't. I'd rather avoid being in public for a while, lest I encounter those two annoying gentlemen again."

"Ah, point taken. Well, I'll let ye get on with yer work. 'Till later, trainee Star." He said, turning around whilst giving his hat a tap with his hand.

The thief turned around, scratching the back of her head. "Seriously, what's wrong with the people here? There's no sense of social decorum whatsoever."  
>She caught Freckles looking at her. When she looked around, she noticed that almost everything they were supposed to pack up was gone. George was already sitting in the cart that they would be driving. "You sure work fast."<p>

"Well , I did tell ye that we were almost done."

Star gave an understanding nod. "Sorry for doubting you then. Ah, miss Beast, how are you today? Thank you for your care yesterday." She said when she saw the leather – clad woman walk up.

Beast looked at the apprentice appraisingly. Finally, she looked to a point over Star's right shoulder while talking. "Joker… what did he want with ye?"

"Eh?" Star reacted.

"Joker was 'ere, wasn't he? What'd he want?"

"Oh!' Star said, pulling out the medallion from underneath her shirt. 'He just returned this to me, that's all. Why?"

Beast kept on refusing to look her in the eye. "Just… wonderin', that's all. I'm gonna see to me own things now."

"Somebody's jealooouus…" a voice came from behind her. Wendy and Peter were sitting next to George on the cart, watching the scene unfold.

Star stretched herself out a bit, not understanding what was going on. "Really, I know you're all speaking English, but something is stopping me from understanding you properly."

Wendy looked at Peter and winked. "She doesn't get it quite, does she?"

"Looks like it." Peter said, looking back at Wendy. The trapeze duo looked back at Star then, and spoke in perfect sync : "We'll be interested in the followin' events." They took off together, leaving her dumbfounded.

"Freckles… tell me we're ready to leave… I really could use a rest. I'm feeling my headache coming up again."

Freckles looked at his companion amused. "Already gettin' puzzled, are ye? Fine, they're going to be bringin' the horses in a while, ye can take a moment to relax."

|Evening|

"Hey, wake up Star!"

The girl shot up, gasping for a breath. "Wuzzup?" she mumbled, trying to open up her eyes. Somebody – she was guessing Freckles – gave her a few pats on the head. "Ye're a real sleepyhead, aren't ye? Ye slept right through lunch even."

Opening her eyes she noticed that she was right about it having been Freckles. The youth looked at her in glee. When the cart rode over a bump, their heads were knocked together. "Aaauwch…" they both moaned, gripping their heads.

She could hear George laughing at the situation, and resisted the urge to glare at her brother. "I think my headache just came back to say hello…" she mumbled instead, rubbing the sore spot.

"I think it stuck it's buddy in me head." Freckles replied. A chuckle escaped Star, despite her pain. The two people looked at each other, one with a slightly more relaxed face than usual, the other with a broad grin.

"If ye don't mind me sayin' though, ye speak pretty upper crust like for a pickpocket." Freckles remarked, having wondered about it for quite some time.

Star looked away, slightly panicked. "Ah… that's because…"

She was cut off by the announcement that they'd be resting for the night. Star let out a relieved sigh, having been saved by the figurative bell. Freckles noticed, and waved a finger at her. "Don't think yer getting away that easy! I wanna know tonight."

"You're not going to let this rest, are you?" she asked him, already knowing the answer.

"'Course not! We're yer new family, so we need to know."

"Family, huh?" she asked, having already been severely disappointed in that department. Still, she knew she'd be able to survive, and save George, if things got bad.

Freckles held out his hand, pinkie first. "Pinkie swear?" he asked with a grin.

She hesitated, but eventually gave in. "Pinkie swear." She agreed.

They shook their pinkies, and Freckles jumped off the wagon. "Well, let's go get sum grub. Afterwards we need to set up the tent. Is it okay if I share one with ye and yer brother?"

Star frowned, but nodded. "I guess it'll be fine. Speaking of George, where did he go?"

Freckles patted his clothes, getting the dust out. "Ah, he's with Joker. Seems like they've taken a shine to each other."

The ex – thief couldn't help but sigh. "Well, I suppose he's safe there. Joker seems to be a decent guy."  
>Freckles nodded, and helped her down from the cart. She stretched out before walking towards the cooking area. "Still, he should know better than just running off like that." She mumbled.<p>

|After Dinner|

Star stuffed her hands in her pockets, walking back towards wherever to the place where she had agreed to meet up with Freckles. If the circus was a maze when it was orderly set up, it was even worse when they were on the road. Tents were being placed at random, wherever their owners felt it might be handy. She dodged a man swinging a hammer, taking a step to the side without flinching. She had always been best at dodging when she wasn't paying any real attention.

A horse started screeching, only a few meters away from her. It was one of the last ones to be released from its cart, and now was flailing it's front legs wildly at something in front of it. The young boy who was in charge of the horses was pulling it's reigns helplessly, standing to the sides.

Without thinking, she approached. She called out soothingly to the horse. "Hey now… I'm here big fellow… look at me, just look at me…"

Following the horse's panicked look, she noticed one of Snake's snakes on the ground. No wonder the poor animal was panicking. But where was Snake? She suddenly noticed him standing close by, staring at the horse in panic.  
>"Snake!" she said, still using that same soothing tone of voice. "Get your snake out of here, fast."<p>

Snake nodded, walking up to the snake, picking it up. Star moved in front of the two, forcing the horse to look at her. "Look at me sweetie, there's nothing to be scared about." She held her hands up to the sides, palms open so the horse could see she didn't mean any harm.  
>"There's a good boy… it's okay, you can stop panicking now."<p>

The horse had stopped it's whining, and was now nervously trampling, watching the stranger get closer. It couldn't see the threat anymore, but it still didn't trust the situation. The human kept talking, in that sweet high pitched tone it had come to associate with treats and a walk. There was nothing in the human's palms. It snorted, thrusting it's head around.

"Now now, there's no need for that, is there." She said, taking a last step closer. The boy holding the horse looked to be on the verge of tears. She told him to let go of the reigns. He shook his head, gripping them even tighter.

"Do what she says." It was Joker, who was holding George by the hand. George was gaping wide – eyed at his sister, who was attempting to calm a – in his eyes – ferocious horse.

The boy let go, and walked backwards, almost falling as he did so. The horse relaxed further, not feeling the stressful presence anymore.

Star held out a hand. "It's okay… just come here…" the horse snorted at her, shaking it's head. Still, it didn't show any signs of attacking.

She slowly moved her hand forward. The horse didn't back away, but kept in place. She stopped, only a few centimeters from its snout. The horse looked at her with big, wet eyes, and pressed it's nozzle against the palm of her hand. She paused for a second, before she sighed, and moved her other hand to the place that would be the forehead with a human.

She rubbed it. "See, now there's a good boy… yes you are." The crowd that had gathered to look let out a sigh, before clapping their hands. When Star looked up, she only now noticed how many people had gathered. She took the horse's reigns firmly in one hand. "Now I'm going to put you with the others, and you can have a good night's sleep, okay?"

The horse pressed it's head against her, sniffing for food. When the crowd dispersed, only Joker, George and Snake kept standing there. Star made sure the horse couldn't see the snake man by standing in the way.

Joker walked up, looking as relaxed as always. "Seems like ye know yer way around horses. If all else fails, I think I might employ ye as a stable hand."

Star let out a relieved sigh. "I think I rather like that idea. If you'll excuse me, I have to bring this guy to the rest of the horses. He's had enough stress for one day." She turned her head so she could see Snake. "Snake, can you try not to let the horses see the snakes? It's sure to spook them."

Snake nodded, seemingly too embarrassed about the situation to make a comment. When he walked away, Star shook her head. She caught Joker looking at her. "What?"

He grinned. She noticed for the first time that one of his canines was a little longer than the other one. It glinted in the light. "Nothing. Just got me thinkin', this girl's full of surprises. Ye save me an' Dagger, ye have a box of jewels but go out stealin', and now ye're a horse whisperer."

She sweatdropped. "Saying it like that makes it sound amazing. But most of that stuff isn't, you know? I just know how to handle horses because I used to be around them when I was little. I saved you guys because I just passed by."

Joker spread his hands. "I know. But still, I'm expectin' a lot from you. Don't let me down." He patted George on the head.

The boy looked up at the older man in adoration. "See you later, Joker. Don't forget, you promised to teach me how to juggle!"

Joker nodded, waving his goodbyes before he returned to his own tent. Star picked up her brother, putting him on the horse. "You two have gotten close." She noted, feeling a little bit jealous at having to share her brother.

George nodded, keeping hold of the horses manes gently as his sister led it by the reins. "Joker's nice. He's taking care of us now, and he gave you a job. I like him." He said with all the seriousness a young child could muster.

She couldn't help but find herself silly for feeling jealous like that. "Well, as soon as we get the horse to where it belongs, we need to go to Freckles, and help set up the tent. Are you up for that?" George nodded. Star couldn't help but think that… things were starting to look better for them.


	5. Midnight RendezVous

|Two Days Later, The Circus Tent|

"Ye really don't 'ave any talent, do ye?" Joker asked, scratching the back of his head doubtingly. Star glared at him. That one second in which she diverted her attention from the three balls she was supposed to keep in the air, juggling them, was enough to make one of them leave it's trajectory. She reached out after it, forgetting about the other balls.  
>While Joker caught the stray ball in his prosthetic hand, the other two bumped down on her bottom as she lay face – down in the dust. The ringleader started laughing out loud when she got up and started dusting herself off.<p>

"You're the one that insisted that I joined." She reminded him, sending him another poisonous glare. Running a hand through her hair, Star decided that she would master the juggling act just to get on Joker's nerves.

Joker chuckled when he saw her serious expression. He handed her the blue ball back that he had plucked out of the air. "Now don't ye go givin' me that look." He said, sounding suave like usual. "I was only tryin' to get ye out of yer concentration."  
>When she looked at him questioningly, he waved his non – prosthetic hand around to the tent that was set up. "When yer performing, ye can't get distracted by someone yellin' yer name or somethin' like that. Ye need to stay focused, or else ye'll end up in trouble."<br>He pointed back at her, looking confident in his statements. "If I don't get ye immune for that sorta thing, ye'll be a horrible performer!"

Somebody hugged her from behind. "Joker, even if ye say that, we didn't bother to ask Star what she's good at." Dagger said. Star struggled to get herself free, but Dagger didn't let up.

"Dagger, I already told you I don't like being touched! Let go of me!"

"Ah, but since Freckles accepted you as a sister, that means yer my lil' sis too now. So, I get to hug ye!"

"What's that for logic!" she yelled out, giving him a jab with her elbow.

Dagger let go of her, rubbing his side. He gave her a pat on the head. "If ye're goin' to keep that attitude, ye'll never be a cute lil' sis." He warned her.

"I'm not aiming to be one either." She answered him, sticking her tongue out.

Dagger laughed at that, sticking his out too. Joker hit both of them on the head with his cane. "Cut it out, will ye?"  
>The two troublemakers rubbed their heads, both of them glaring at the ringleader. Joker ignored the looks, pointing his cane at Star.<p>

"What exactly are ye good at?" he asked her.

Star blinked. "Eh, well…" she thought about it for a moment. "I am good at running away?" she said, although it sounded more like a question.

Joker facepalmed, looking at her through his fingers. "That's yer talent?" he asked non – believing.

"I think so. I'm really good at it, and it's useful if you're a thief."

Joker shook his head. "That's not a talent at all!" he replied to her. "I was thinking somethin' in the lines of : I have great balance, or I can juggle fifteen balls at a time."

Star sweatdropped. "I think we already established that I am no good at the latter."

Dagger chuckled, leaning on her shoulder. "What about knives? Ye used a knife the night that we first saw ye." He suggested, excited at the idea that he would have a partner to discuss tactics with.

"My knife? You mean this?" she asked, hitting the inside of her wrist, making a blade pop out of a hidden mechanical device.

Dagger jumped away when the knife popped out. "Hey, watch it with that thing!"

Star pulled up her sleeve, showing the men the device bound to her wrist. "It's not meant for throwing or anything. I use it in the way you saw that night, to create a quick getaway."

Joker tapped a finger against the blade. "Ye actually carry that thing with ye all the time?" he asked.

Star nodded, letting her sleeve fall over the blade again. "I've got this thing for more than three years now. It's pretty reliable, and saved me more times than I can count. There's no way I go out without it."

Joker let out a deep sigh. "We still don't know what kind of job we can give ye now."

Dagger made an eureka sign. "Of course! Limuri, my old partner, quit because she couldn't 'andle gettin' knives thrown at her. We could let Star take her place."

It was Star's turn to sigh. "Well, I can understand Limuri's reaction. What makes you think I can even fit in her costume?"

"Well, ye are both pretty flat chested, so I don't see where there's a problem…" Dagger said, scratching the back of his head.

Star huffed. "I am _not _flat chested. It only looks that way because I wear these baggy clothes." She let the man know. She was pretty proud of her breasts, and she wouldn't allow any degrading remarks in that department.

"Why do ye wear them clothes then, eh?" Joker asked, looking at her chest area as if he was hoping to see something special.

Star covered herself up from too curious eyes. "Because, I'm supposed to remain inconspicuous when I'm out stealing. Deep cleavage does not equal inconspicuous, just so you know."

Joker grabbed her by the collar, and started dragging her away. "Well, let's get ye somethin' to wear then. Dagger, get Doll and Beast, they're girls, so they'll be able to help out."

"Hey wait, I didn't even agree to take the job! Let go of me!" Star protested in vain. She couldn't help but feel exasperated. Why did Joker not listen to her for once!

|Getting Dressed|

"Well, 'ow is it?" Joker called towards the girls behind the curtain. Star was being helped in her corset by Beast and an ever silent Doll.

Beast gave it a hard tug, making Star gasp for air. It had been ages since she had last worn a corset. "Beast… I think it's tight enough, thanks!"

Beast gave it an extra tug, just to be sure. The woman was jealous of the newcomer, even though she wouldn't say it out loud. Joker… every time there was a newcomer, he ended up spending so much time with them. When it was a male, she wasn't that worried… but when it was a woman, she couldn't help but worry that maybe it would be that one that Joker would fall for. How long had she been waiting for the seemingly carefree ringleader? How long did she already know him?  
>Now again, a girl – no, a woman – with big eyes was constant near him. Why didn't Joker see how much she wanted to be with him? No, he saw it. Why didn't he act on it?<p>

Star managed to button up her dress halfway up before she couldn't reach anymore. Doll assisted her further, getting the small buttons on the back in place. Star sighed, feeling how short the dress was, reaching above her knees. The only small comfort where the long fishnet stockings, giving her at least the illusion of being dressed.  
>She tried pulling the skirt down a bit, but Doll slapped her hands. Star frowned, trying to look at her own back so she could see if everything was covered up. Doll grabbed the slightly taller girl's face in her hands. "Stop fidgeting, and get out there." Doll pushed her from behind the curtains.<p>

Star sighed, looking up at Dagger and Joker who had been standing there waiting. The two men started to smile, and had a slight blush on their faces. Star put her hands in her hips. "Sheesh, stop it with the lecherous looks already."  
>She looked down at the dress. "Besides, this kind of thing doesn't really suit me at all."<p>

Joker waved a hand around when he heard that comment. "Nonsense, it looks great. You just need some more accessories."

He started rummaging through some closets, looking for some of the things he thought would match her outfit. Dagger grabbed her in a hug again. "Awww, don't ye look like a cute lil' sis now!" he said, ruffling her hair.

"Kyaaah, let go of me!" she said, trying to shrug the taller man off.

Dagger ignored her, forcing her to look at the other two girls. "Beast, don't ye think too that she's adorable like this?"

Beast looked away. She didn't want to compliment a potential rival. Dagger didn't notice her reluctance, but kept talking. "Say, big sis, why don't we go and grab somethin' to eat together this evenin'? We could go watch the stars an' everythin'."

Beast said nothing, walking out of the tent. As she left, she gave Joker's back a longing look. In her mind she screamed at the ringleader. 'Tell me I'm the cutest! Tell me I'm the one you're watching!' she knew she wouldn't be able to ever say that to him.

Star scratched the back of her head, seeing Beast walk of like that. "Beast really doesn't like me, huh?" she mumbled.

Dagger looked at her. "What'cha say, Star?"

Star flinched. "Nothing! Can you please let go of me now?"

"Dagger, let go of 'er. How are we s'posed to get her dressed otherwise?" Joker asked, pulling Dagger off with his good arm. In his prosthetic hand he was holding a hat and a staff. Joker placed the hat a little lopsided on her head, and made her hold the staff. Then he walked around her, inspecting her.  
>Star tried to follow him with her head, trying to ignore the approving sounds he made. When he stood back in front of her, he finally said. "Good… but there's one thing missing."<p>

"What then?" she asked him, getting annoyed with the whole getting dressed thing. Joker grabbed her face, making her instinctively move back. He didn't let off, peering into her eyes intently. "Wh – what?" she asked, nervously.

"Ye need to smile." He told her, trying to pull the corners of her mouth up in a smile.

She slapped his hands away with her new cane. "I don't want to." She told him.

Dagger nodded with Joker's statement. "He's right, ye haven't smiled once ever since ye got here. So, show us yer smile."

Star pouted, looking away from the men. "I hardly see why that would be necessary." She hadn't smiled much, these past four years. There hadn't been much reason to do so. Only when George was being healthy and happy did she show a rare grin. Doll, ever silent Doll, was standing behind her, also waiting to see a smile.  
>Star bit her tongue. These people wouldn't let her get out of the tent if she didn't smile, she already saw that coming. "Ugh, fine, I'll smile. This once. In return, I want to go to town tomorrow. It's my brother's birthday, and I want to get him a nice present."<p>

Joker nodded. "Deal. Now smile."

Star forced a smile on her face. Joker shook his head. That smile wasn't even close to what he wanted to see. 'Okay, think funny thoughts… think funny thoughts…' she thought about Dagger's antics at the breakfast table, but it didn't quite work. Joker's constant suave remarks didn't do much either. Then she thought about her kid brother's smiling face when she had told him they'd be staying with the circus.  
>The thought brought a natural smile to her face. Joker blushed when he saw her smile like that. An odd tickle went down his spine, took a twist in his stomach before routing for his toes. 'That smile… amazing.' He thought to himself.<p>

Star wiped the smile of her face, and looked at the ringleader expectantly. "Well, that any better?"

Joker cleared his throat. "Much better. As promised, we'll go to town tomorrow. It'll be good advertisin', so wear yer new outfit."

She shook her head. "Wait, I have to wear this in town? But it's embarrassing! This is waaaaay too short to show myself in public in! Not to mention I can't conceal my knife in this kind of outfit."

Joker chuckled. "I didn't know ye were plannin' on gettin' in trouble. If it's necessary, I'll come save ye."

Star blushed when she heard that. "Don't say such embarrassing things."

Dagger laughed. "Awww, but Star's really startin' to become a cute lil' sis after all."

Star got an anger vain on her head. "Don't call me lil' sis, you!"

|That Evening|

Star had been managing to keep the three different balls in the air for over five minutes now. She smiled, keeping them all in a continuous loop. Tomorrow, she'd show off to Joker before they left, and start practicing with four balls.

"Star!" a voice rang out from her left. When she looked to see who it was, she let the balls slip from her hands. Unhappy she looked to the ground. "Got sidetracked again. Dammit!"

It was Freckles, accompanied by Snake. Freckles grabbed her by the arm, turning round and round. "Star, ye still 'aven't told me why ye speak so neat like." Freckles reminded her.

Star looked at the younger guy, and patted him on the head. "That's because you fell asleep before we got back to the tent two days in a row." She reminded him in turn.

Freckles let go of her, and kicked a pebble. "Well, ye could've woke me up, ye know? Tell me now, kay?" he pleaded, looking up at his new big sister with big eyes.

Star sighed, bending over to pick up her juggling balls. "Fine, I'll tell you. Snake, how are you doing? You haven't said much." She asked the man, who seemed to be startled being spoken to.

"We're fine… Says Goethe." Snake answered, having a snake on his shoulder.

"Right… still speaking to me through the snakes." She said, feeling rather dejected when he answered like that. "You're going to have to trust me sooner or later, you know?"

Snake nodded. Star facepalmed. "Is that supposed to be an improvement?" The man shrugged, not being sure how to handle women in general. This one was even more demanding that Beast, Doll or Wendy.

Freckles tugged at her arm. "Tell me!" he demanded, getting impatient.

Star nodded, looking up at the stars in the sky. "Let's see… well, the reason me and George speak like this, is because we were born as nobles."

Freckles mouth dropped open. "Ye're a noble?" he gasped. "How come ye don't live in a big fancy place then?"

Star grimaced when she thought back. Images ran past her mind. "Something unfortunate had happened. Me and George were forced to flee from our home."

_Her father was yelling at her that she should stop trying to escape with George. The manor was burning, the heat choking her as she held George in her arms, running with a small suitcase in her hands. The rustling of her long skirts was being drowned out by the fire crackling.  
>George was crying as their father was gaining on them. "Valentine, stop running away and give me that brat!" he yelled, having no regard for the flames around them.<br>"Valentine, get back here!"_

"Star. Hey Star, ye're spacin' out." Freckles waved a hand in front of her face. She blinked, before looking at Freckles.

She swallowed before continuing talking. "Anyway, George and myself aren't nobles anymore. Now we're just part of the circus."

"Part of the family, ye mean." Freckles corrected her.

"Part of the family." She agreed, although she still hadn't gotten used to the idea. Freckles gave her a slap on her shoulder. "I'm 'eading back to the tent. Ye should smile more, Star. It looks good on ye."

"Uh, thanks." Star replied. When had Freckles seen her smile? "Freckles, when did you –" she stopped talking when she saw that Freckles was already running off.

She looked at Snake, who was starting to walk away too. "Good night, Snake." She called out after him. Snake showed a shy smile. "Good night… Says Goethe" he replied.

A little while off Snake ran into Joker. The ringleader tipped his hat to the snake man. "Snake, how are ye doin' tonight?" he asked him, showing a broad grin. Snake answered him in the same way as he had replied to Star. Joker didn't mind, he understood that was simply the way Snake was.

"Star is practicing hard… Says Goethe." He added, wanting to let Joker know that the girl wasn't slacking off in any way. Joker smiled when he heard that.

"Really now? Where is she?" he asked, getting that same tingle in his stomach he had had when seeing her in her new outfit.

Snake pointed in her direction. "Good night… says Goethe."

"Good night, Snake."

|Small part in Joker's Pov|

Joker walked up to where Star was supposed to be. He soon saw her silhouette in the darkening night, throwing up three balls in the air, and keeping them up. He was pleased to see that she was a fast learner, and that she didn't let of. Seems that he had been right after all, spotting her talent.  
>One of the balls went out of the circle. Star took a step back to catch it, but her heel got caught behind a small stone. As she fell back, she braced herself from the impact.<br>Joker only caught her just in time. He worried a bit about having hurt her with his prosthetic – it wasn't nearly as soft as a real arm – but at least he had saved her from greater harm.

"Who's that?" she asked, slightly panicking. Joker realized she couldn't see him, because his face pointed downwards, away from the light shining from the moon. He on the other hand could see her face just fine.

"Guess?" he asked, watching her reaction.

At once her face turned into relief. "Good heavens Joker, for a second I thought there was a perv lurking around here. Care to help me up a bit?"

He lifted the girl up. Her juggling balls lay forgotten on the ground. His heart had made a small jump when she had recognized his voice. She patted her circus outfit, smoothing out the wrinkles a little bit. She turned to face him, not smiling but not scowling either.

"Did you come to look at the stars?" she asked him, waving a hand up to the sky. It was as if there were millions of them, staining the sky in endless pins of light.

Joker looked up. "I guess ye could say that."

She continued talking. "I like the stars. I used to believe that they could grant any wish, as long as I wanted it hard enough." Joker listened. Star wasn't usually this talkative. "Pretty silly, no? Still… I'm glad that you named me Star."

"Ah…" Joker said, not knowing how he should react. "I like the stars to, ye know? I always looked out for a fallin' one, hopin' to make a wish on it."

"Which one is your favorite star?" she asked him, looking up with those big eyes of her.

Did she notice he was actually watching her? Why was he watching her? "I… don't really have one…" he said.

Star looked at him in surprise. "You don't? Well, let me know when you have one. I'll tell you my favorite one then."

Joker nodded, looking back up. "As soon as I figure this out… I will."


	6. A Trip To Town

|In The Morning|

"Star, where are ye?" Joker's voice rang out from outside the tents. Star rubbed her eyes, jumping out of the bed and sticking her head out the tent flap.

"Joker, keep it down, will you? George and Freckles are still sleeping. I was too… just now…" she added, grumbling underneath her breath. They still had a good hour to go before they had to wake up, and she liked to get as much sleep as possible.

He patted her head with his prosthetic right hand, giving her his trademark wide smile. "Now now, no need to get so upset. We need to get our make – up before we leave, to advertise our best."

Star sweatdropped. "You're going to put make – up on my face? _You_?"

"Who else?" he asked, grabbing her by the shoulders and dragging her along.

She protested at once. "Hey, I'm still in my night clothes! Can you at least wait until after I put my clothes on?"

Joker glanced at her, before scratching the back of his head. "Ah, sorry 'bout that. Well, ye go on and get dressed, I'll be waiting in the backstage part of the tent. An' hurry up a little!"

Star hurried back to the relative warmth of the small tent she shared with Freckles and George. "Bleeding idiot…" she mumbled under her breath, putting on the costume in haste. "…Dragging me out of the tent this early in the morning… doesn't realize it's cold…"

"… Star?" Freckles asked, sounding sleepy.

"Freckles!" she whispered back. "Did I wake you up?" she asked, glad she had already covered up her more vital parts. Sharing a room with two boys was something more unnerving than she would have guessed.

Freckle's head shook in the darkness. "No, ye didn't. Where are ye going?"

"Joker is taking me to town, so I can buy George a birthday present. He's insisting we leave early. Can you do me a favor and look after my brother for the day?"

"It's George's birthday?" Freckles asked, suddenly storming out of the bed, towards his pants. Before Star could react, he returned and pushed a few pounds in her hand. "Can ye use this to buy his present too? If I'd know, I would've gotten him somethin' too…"

Star nodded, and closed her hand around the money. "I will. George likes you, Freckles. So in this case, I think I can make a small exception."

Freckles closed his arms around the half – dressed Star. "Thanks, big sis!" he said, before letting go of her and returning to his bed.

Star couldn't help but smile softly. "… see you later, Freckles."

|The Circus Tent|

Star entered just as Joker laid the final hand on his own make – up, drawing a final line on his eye. He looked up as she entered, blinking fiercely. "Ended up poking meself in my own eye."

"Is that supposed to give me confidence in your abilities?" she asked him playfully.

Joker chuckled, patting the crutch next to him. "I'll be more careful with ye, so have a seat."

Star sat down, putting her hat on the dresser as Joker looked thoughtfully at the small paint containers. "Let's see now… Pink would make yer costume look far too soft…" he mumbled, putting the pink bottle away. "But since yer costume has black in it too, using that will look mighty nice indeed."

He stared at her face intently, squinting his eyes slightly. Star rubbed a hand over her face. "What? Do I have something on my face?" she asked, wondering what it could be.

Joker shook his head, taking her chin in his skeletal hand. "Hold still now… I dun wanna slip."  
>The smooth material his hand was made of felt cool to the touch. He pressed the brush dipped in the cold, black liquid above her eyebrow. "Close yer eyes now." He told her, as he started to pull the brush downward. She closed her eyelids, feeling the smooth brush glide down to a point on her cheek.<p>

"What are you drawing?" she asked him, trying to hold her head as still as possible.

"I'm just tryin' somethin' out. I'll decide later on if I like it or not." He replied, directing her head slightly to the left. It felt as if he was coloring something in.

"That tickles!" she commented.

"Nnnn…" he replied, moving his hand to her other cheek. He only placed a few short strokes there. "There we are, all done!" he said.

Star opened her eyes, and peered in the mirror. A large star covered her right eye, while he had placed a small stripe, much like his own, across her left eye. She cocked her head to the side, trying to get a better view. "It looks nice." She commented.

Joker frowned. "No need to sound so surprised." He said scowling.

She waved her hands around. "No, I mean, I'm really happy with it Joker!" Joker gave her a non – believing glance. "Really now?"

She put a hand to her heart. "May God strike me down if I lie."

They waited for a few seconds. When she wasn't hit by lightning, Joker started chuckling. "Stop bein' so serious all the time." He told her, getting up. "And let's go, we've already lost enough time."

|The Horse Pen|

"Ye want to take which horse?" Joker asked, not believing his ears.

Star blinked, and patted the horse next to her on the nose. "This one." She replied, scratching her hooved friend behind the ear. It was the horse she had encountered a few days ago. The pitch – black stallion had started to warm up to her, and allowed the girl to come close to him where he wouldn't allow others.

"Ye want to take Devil with us?" Joker asked, still not believing what he was hearing.

Star looked up at the tall animal, cooing to it. "Of course I do. He's finally started to like me, and a ride to town is just what we need to consolidate our friendship. Isn't that right, Devil?"  
>The horse neighed it's head towards the girl, keeping an eye on the stranger that had accompanied her. Joker pushed his hat a bit better on his head, looking worried.<p>

"Even if ye say that, this horse's notorious for buckin' people off, not to mention he could well try to kill ye." Joker said, not too fond of the thought that she would have to get on that horse.

"Oh, don't be such a baby." Star told him, already swinging a leg to get on Devil. The horse allowed it patiently. She clicked her tongue, moving the horse next to Joker. "Well, choose a horse so we can get moving. I'll be fine." She added, seeing the worried look in his eyes.

Joker got on a gray mare, looking at Star in a mixture of both awe and annoyance. "Ye're a stubborn woman, ye know that?" he asked her.

Star chuckled in response to that. "I've been told that before, yes." She replied.

|In Town|

"Do all these people have to keep staring at us?" she asked Joker from the corner of her mouth. She had expected to stand out a little bit, but this was just getting awkward.

Joker smiled at people, waving and telling them to come and see them. When he stopped doing that, he turned to her. "Well, we did come here partly for advertisin' purposes. So, smile at the people, an' tell them to come over."

Star instead frowned at him, wishing she was still sitting on Devil. They had left the horses at a stable, paying a small sum for the animal's lodgings. Some young women waved at him, beckoning him closer. He obeyed with a smile, dragging Star along by the arm. "Hello ladies! Ye fancy comin' to our circus for a day of fun?"

The girls giggled, looking at each other instead of at the ringleader. Finally the one that seemed to be the boldest asked him : "Will you be there to?" Joker grinned at them, beaming that he would be. One of the girls spotted Star.

"Oh, is she your friend?" the woman asked.

Joker pulled Star closer, even though she tried to resist as inconspicuously as possible. "Yep. This 'ere's Star, our newest member. She'll be performing for the first time ever tomorrow, and ye ladies bein' there would sure help 'er out, isn't that right, Star?"

Star forced a smile on her face. "Yeah… that's right…" she mumbled, wishing to be somewhere else. The young ladies squealed at the sight of Star's attire.

"That has to be the cutest outfit I ever saw!" one of them exclaimed. The others chimed in. Star started to panic. She didn't like being surrounded by so many people, and the women were starting to get closer and closer.

"Please excuse me!" she said, holding out her arms to keep the women at bay. "I need to… go over there and check something out!" she said, running of before the women or Joker could say something.

Turning around the corner, she wiped the sweat from her brow. "That was close…" she mumbled to herself. When she peeked around the corner, she could see Joker reassuring the women that Star was okay, just being a little shy. "Shy, my ass…" she mumbled. Looking in front of her, she noticed a toy store. 'Well, what a coincidence…' she thought, making her way to it, trying to ignore the looks people were giving her.  
>Inside the store, there were a lot of small wooden trains, plush animals and other assortments of things a child would find endearing. To be truthful, she herself found that these toys were cute and adorable. As she picked up a plush rabbit, somebody tugged at her short skirt.<p>

"Miss, are you from the circus?" a young girl, perhaps eight years old, asked her. She had the long, golden curls that was the trademark sign of a noble child destined to break hearts.

Star smiled shyly at the child. "Oh my, am I that easy to see through?" she asked the child.

The girl nodded, smiling back. "A bit!" she exclaimed. "I've never seen a performer before." The girl said in a grave tone of voice, as if was a vital piece of information.

Star lowered herself to the girl's height. "Well, my name is Star, and tomorrow is the first time I'll be going on stage. Would you like to come and cheer me on while we're in town?" she asked the girl.

At once the girl started beaming. "Could I? I would love to do so. But mommy and daddy don't want to give money to things they consider to be so common…" the girl added.

Star pulled out two tickets from a concealed pocket in her dress. "Well, my boss gave me these two tickets. You have a nanny, don't you?" she asked the girl.

When she nodded, Star continued. "Well, ask her to take you. You can have these tickets, so your parents don't have to spend money on them. How does that sound?"

"Wow, thank you, Miss!" the girl yelled, pressing the tickets to her small chest. "I'm going to tell Nan right away, if that's okay?" Star waved the girl away, before turning to the display of stuffed animals again. Behind her, she could hear the young girl jabbering away to her nanny, pleading with her to go to the circus the coming day.  
>Star's eyes fell on a stuffed bear from the Funtom company. She pulled it from the shelf, squeezing it gently. It was stuffed firmly, and looked at the world with gentle eyes. George used to have a bear like this, back when they were still nobles. He had lost it on the day they had escaped, to the flames engulfing the ancestral home of her father.<p>

She walked towards the counter. "I'll take this, please." She said to the shopkeeper. The stern man tallied the money she gave him with a hawk's eye, to make sure he didn't come out short. Walking out of the store, she waved goodbye to the little girl she had met, pressing the bear against her chest.  
>'I'd better go and find Joker…' she thought to herself. When she got to the street where he had been, she didn't see him anywhere. 'Where did he run of to now?' she wondered, vaguely annoyed. A young man waved at her. She looked around, but when nobody reacted to his waving, she shrugged and went over there. "Yes?" she asked him, not trusting somebody so easily.<p>

"Yer looking for yer friend, aren't ye miss?" the man asked.

Star nodded slowly. "I am. What's it to you?" she said, taking a step backwards. She had seen people getting lured in by muggers this way, and she wasn't about to be so stupid as to let it happen to her. However, as she took that step, she bumped into someone. A tall man looked down on her. He was missing his two front teeth.

He grabbed her by the arms, pushing her forwards. She banged her foot on his, but he didn't even flinch. His companion neared, holding out his hands to take her from the other man. She clenched her teeth, grabbing the teddy in her arms harder. Her foot lashed out, hitting the other man in between the legs. He groaned, falling down in the mud. "You little bitch!" he spat out.

More men came from the back of the alley. She was already being pushed in several meters by Mr. Toothless. When she looked up to him, he grinned. She jumped up, the top of her head colliding with his chin. She could hear the shattering of teeth, as the man let go of her. Blood dribbled from his mouth, as he looked at her in pain.  
>Star pushed the side of her arm, expecting her trusty blade to pop out so she could defend herself. Instead, she hit her bare wrist. She bit her lip when she realized she hadn't put on her blade because the dress wouldn't allow it.<p>

The men came closer to her. She stepped backwards, over the two men she had disabled. If she turned and ran, the three men that were left would be on her like hounds on a rabbit. Safety lay in the busy street, right behind her.

Somebody picked her up from behind, lifting her legs from beneath her body. In a flash she saw ginger hair and felt a bony – like arm in the small of her back. Her feet dangled in the air.

Joker sent a glare to the men who had been nearing in on her. "Ye guys had better not been plannin' on hurting her. Else I would see meself forced to do something… unpleasant."  
>The menacing look he sent to the would – be attackers sent them back a few paces. When Joker lifted the corner of his mouth, revealing a canine, they ran away. Star was surprised at how menacing the man could seem.<p>

"That's… impressive of you…" she said softly. Joker looked at her, the usual smile on his face.

The scary look he had given the men had left no trace behind. As he turned, carrying Star bridal style, he said :"I hope I didn't scare ye."

Star shook her head. "I'm fine. Thanks though." Joker nodded, seemingly pleased at hearing a 'thank you' from her.

"Ye're welcome." He answered.

As they left the alley, the three noble girls Joker had been talking to were waiting for them. When they saw what Joker was doing, they started squealing again. "Oh my, is this the secret circus love affair?" they asked, looking at Star.

"The what?" she asked.

The tallest one of the girls answered. "The love affair between you and the circus manager, which can't happen because of his obligations! It's a tragic love, which can't end in anything but misery! Is it, Mr. Joker?"'

Joker smiled, looking at the girls. "Who knows?" he asked in a mysterious way. '"If ye ladies want to find out, ye'll have to come to see us at the circus." Star sighed. He was far too good at luring customers.

"We will! We will support Star's love for you from the sidelines!" the smallest one yelled.

Star sweatdropped. "Joker… put me down. Seriously."

Joker put her on her feet, putting a hand on her head instead. "If ye want to avoid embarrasin' moments like these, ye'd better not run off anymore. 'Kay?"

She pouted, looking away. "'Kay."

He pushed some money in her hand. When she looked down at it, she made a questioning face. Joker scratched the back of his head. "I like yer brother. So, I wanted to chip in too, if ye'll let me."

Star nodded, looking at the green – eyed man. "I'll let you. Because you're a good guy. So, how about we go home now? I understand there's a big show tomorrow. There's a rising Star having her tribute then."

"Is there now?" Joker asked, throwing her a wink. "Well, I'm lookin' forward to see that Star perform. I hope she'll give it her best shot."

Star walked next to him, towards the place they had left the horses that morning. "She will, you can count on that."

Joker looked at her, seemingly enjoying the moment. "Ye know… I'm not doubting that one bit."


	7. Show Must Go On

|Performance Day, Noon|

"I feel sick." Star said, covering her mouth with a hand. The amount of people in the large tent was nothing short of amazing. She wished it wasn't so crowded, since she didn't handle large masses of people well.

Dagger patted her on the back, noticing her distress. "It ain't that bad. All these people came because ye an' Joker did such a fine job in town. He told me yer startin' yer own fanclub even."

Star moaned and rolled her eyes, not believing her ears. "If he's talking about that gaggle of girls yesterday, they appear to be under the delusion of me being –"

She stopped talking when Beast walked by. Womanly intuition had already let her known if was best if she mentioned Joker as little as possible when the leather - clad woman was near. Dagger noticed Beast walking by too, and immediately shot off to talk to her, leaving Star alone in her misery.  
>"Ugh… this is a disaster…"<p>

Somebody placed a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she looked into Doll's one eye. The girl appeared as serious as ever, not having the slightest smile on her face. "Ye'll be fine, Star." Snake was standing behind her, seemingly as bad at ease as Star herself. He didn't smile at her, although the shaking of the corners of his mouth insinuated that he did try.

Star didn't feel in the least bit consoled though. "Dagger's going to be throwing _daggers_ at me. You know I'm glad I'll be blindfolded? At least that way I don't have to actually see those sharp things flying towards me." Her stomach churned, and she grabbed it with her both hands. "Why, why did I let Joker talk me into this?"

"Because deep down ye want to go on stage!" Joker's voice rang out from behind her, giving her a pat on the back. "I'll be announcing Dagger and ye, so fetch him and make sure that ye're standing ready."

Star sighed, getting up. "Yes sir. Thanks for trying to cheer me up Doll, Snake."

She ran off, looking for Dagger who had to be around here somewhere. "I hope I don't have to throw up when I get out there." She thought to herself, mortified by the thought. Dodging a couple of people from the band playing the music during the shows, she couldn't help but hear Dagger's words to Beast.

"Big sis, will ye be watchin' me out there? I'll make it extra exciting then!"

Beast didn't answer, instead locking eyes with Star. "I'd be 'appy if ye hit yer assistant this time…" she muttered just loud enough for Star to hear.

Star sweatdropped, as did Dagger. He started to flail his arms around, panicked. "Gosh Beast, don't say such scary things! What is Star or Joker hear ye?"

"Dagger, we need to get out there soon." Star said, laying a hand on the man's back.

He jumped up with a scream. "St – st – Star! D-d-d-did ye hear what we were talking about?" he asked, giving Beast a nervous look.

Beast didn't look worried at all, instead throwing the younger woman a disgusted look. "If ye're feeling that bad before a show, ye should consider leavin' this circus. People like ye aren't needed here."

Beast walked away, leaving Star and a bewildered Dagger. Dagger seemed to be feeling rather down at Beast's behavior, casting Star an apologetic look. She clapped him on the back. "Hey, where's that smile you're always talking about, Dagger? If you're going to go on stage like that, you'll make little kids cry."

"Aren't ye a little bit worried about Big sis? When she's un'appy like that, she can get real scary. Don't know why she don't like ye though."

Star shrugged. Though she had an inkling that somehow Beast had a crush on Joker, she had no definite proof and even if she knew for sure, telling Dagger something like that would surely make the man unhappy. So, a little white lie was in place for now. "I don't know either, but I'm not letting it worry me! If Beast doesn't want to like me, I can hardly force her, right?"

Dagger shrugged, still feeling quite unhappy about the situation. "I guess… let's go get ready though, otherwise he'll hit us with his cane again."

|Performing|

"The amazin' Dagger and his most lovely assistant, Staaaaaaar!" Joker yelled out, swinging his cane towards the two who just came in, waving at the crowd.

Dagger gave her a jab in the side. "Smile, dammit!" he said in between clenched teeth.

Star obeyed, although her smile was forced to say the least. The crowd cheered, and she felt her stomach turn again. "I don't want to… " she murmured. Dagger didn't listen, giving her a push towards her place against a wooden plank. She stood there, holding an apple in her hand. Dagger waved at the crowd, before suddenly turning, releasing one of the deadly tools in his hand towards Star. She yelped when the apple was spliced, the juice squirting out. The crowd cheered.

"And now, Star will blindfold 'erself! See how much faith she has in her partner!" Joker yelled out as Star reached for the blindfold.

"Honestly… Dagger better not hit me, or I'll be haunting him 'till the day he dies!" she mumbled, placing the cloth in front of her eyes.

At once her heart started beating faster as soon as her sight was cut off by the heavy velvet. She had been wrong, not being able to see was worse than being able to see. Now she didn't even know when – "Ah!" she cried out again when a dagger was planted in the wood next to her hand. The wooden board vibrated, sending shivers through her spine every time it tapped against her back. Three more daggers followed rapidly after one another, making her scream even more.

When Dagger had finished his routine, she felt she could hardly stand on her legs anymore. Still, she managed to wave at the crowd, hurrying backstage. "You know, I get why your old partner didn't want to do this anymore." She said panting to Dagger, who looked at her with a grin.

Joker entered behind them, leaning on his cane in an amused fashion. "That was great, both of you! Star, way to make the crowd think ye were scared, they loved it!"

"Did they now?" she managed to bring out in a sarcastic tone of voice.

Joker ignored it, swinging his good arm around her and rubbing her head with the knuckles of his prosthetic. "Damn right they were! I knew ye'd be great!"

"Let go of me! Aaaah!" she yelled, trying to shake Joker off.

Joker pushed her towards Dagger, winking at her. "Ah, little Star is always so bashful!" he teased.

"I am not being _bashful_. I am merely keeping in mind that other people can see us!"

Dagger, who was now leaning on her shoulder, blinked. "Ye mean ye wouldn't mind if other people couldn't see?"

Star's face flushed red, and she glared at the man. "What's that supposed to mean!"

Joker tapped a finger to his chin and nodded. "Ah, I see! Well then, if Star prefers to see me in more private spheres…"

"Joker, not you too!" she moaned, feeling danger coming nearer every second. Joker grinned and told her he was only jesting, for which she scolded him.

Suddenly, one of the other performers came up running in a panic. "Joker! We've a problem on our hands. It's the tiger, Betty! Beast reckons she ate somethin' she's not s'posed to, and now she's sick."

Joker threw his hands up in surprise and frustration. "Yer kiddin', right? I have a noble in the audience who only came 'cuz I told him we 'ave a tiger. If we can't show it, he'll cause a ruckus for sure. An' we can't afford to give refunds."

The man seemed to worry as well. "I know that! But even if it's like that, it's not like we can do somethin' about it!"

Joker sighed. The ring was already cleaned up, Dagger's weapons and the wooden board carried away to be stashed with the other props. Biting his nail, Joker made an annoyed sound, followed by a firm sweep to adjust his hat as he twirled his cane around. "Very well. Since we can't change it… I'll go an' announce it then."

He walked away. Dagger sighed, knowing a lot of people wouldn't be happy about it. "This is pretty bad. If people are gonna demand a refund we'll be out of money. Not to mention this is pretty awful advertising."

Star growled. "Oh no! This show is not going down after I just suffered so much. You!" she pointed at the stranger, who immediately jumped up at the tone in her voice. "Yes?"

"Get that tiger to puke! I don't care how you do it, get it done and report to Dagger when it's done. Dagger, I want you to get the band to play something cheery, okay?"

Dagger nodded, amazed at Star's sudden decisiveness. "But Star… what are ye going to do?"

Star took of her own small hat, and tossed it on one of the small benches scattered backstage. "I'm going to do what I do best!"

|On Stage, Joker's POV|

Joker cleared his throat, before spreading out his arms. "Ladies and gentlemen, I fear that I have to tell you that – Hey!" Somebody lifted his hat from his head. As he started to turned around, the person that had done so also grabbed his cane. "Star, what are you doing, this is serious!" he hissed, not wanting to let the crowd see.

She didn't reply, but put the hat on and stuck out her tongue at him. "Catch me, if you can!" she yelled, loud enough for the crowd to hear. The audience chuckled as a cheery song was being played. Before Joker could say something, Star started to run away. "Come on! Are you being shy?"

Joker ran after her, determined to give the girl a piece of her mind. When he almost had her, she suddenly halted and fell to her knees. He stammered, just barely jumping over her. She grinned, rolling away and getting on her feet in the same movement. The crowd cheered, so she lifted her hands and pretended to use Joker's staff to direct them.  
>Joker neared behind her, grabbing his hat back. She turned around, throwing his staff towards him. As he caught it from the air, she grabbed his hat again, running away with it. The audience laughed at him as he was once again robbed from his hat. "That the best you got?" she taunted him in an effort to make him try even harder. He grabbed his cane firmly and went after her again.<p>

The music kept playing cheerfully, and the people working backstage suddenly rolled a couple of big balls in the ring. Star didn't hesitate once, being caught in the adrenaline of the hunt. She jumped, landing on the ball and using it to go backwards. She waved at Joker as she passed by, seemingly quite cheerful. He ran after her, ignoring the ball that they had sent out for him as he tried to grab her. The girl even had the gal to jump up and down on the ball, throwing his hat up in the sky. Just as he neared her, she jumped down, rolling on the ground before getting back to her feet. The crowd roared, loving every minute of it.

He reached her in time, grabbing her by the wrist so he could finally take his hat back. "Star, ye're not bein' funny!" he said, annoyed by the girl's antics in such a crisis moment. He reached for his hat, but she put it behind her back. He forced her to turn around with his one hand, but she immediately placed his hat in front of her stomach. He growled as he spread his arms to fit around him. He let out a triumphant grunt, sure that he had now won. She bent forward, forcing him to lean over with her, before dropping to her knees again, doing a roll backwards so she could escape again. He got up, dusting of his hat with a happy grin.

"Oh, Joker!" Star called out. When he turned around, she was once again waving his staff at him.

"Why you little -!" he yelled, not even caring about the people watching them now. Still, she was grinning mischievously, looking far more radiant than usual. The thrill of this chase was what made her feel alive. She took a run for it, once again jumping on one of the balls. He ran after her, wondering why he felt so ridiculous. As he ran past the artist's entrance area, he heard Dagger yelling to her :"Okay, ye can finish it now!"

Star let out a grin, winking at Joker. Before he could react, she jumped of the ball, in his direction. He hurried towards where she would be falling, diving to the ground in an attempt to be there on theme. She landed in his arms with a soft thud, although he was now the one eating dust. He coughed, sending her a green – eyed glare. "What were ye thinkin'?" he snapped, not happy at all.

Star waved at the crowd, her eyes twinkling with excitement. "I bought you some extra time. Beast's act can go on now, and there will be no refunds. Just listen to the crowd scream."

Joker took his eyes off of her, and cast his eyes towards the crowd. Indeed, they were all cheering and whistling. He could even spot Star's little fanclub, hooting and shouting things like 'forbidden love' for all the place to hear.  
>He looked back to Star, whose cheeks now sported a rosy glow from all the running and jumping. She caught his glance, and sent him a genuine smile. Joker somehow felt his heart go 'THUMP' for a second, as a tickly feeling spread through his body. "I told you I'd shine today."<p>

"Yeah… didn't know this was what ye were talkin' about though."

|Afterparty|

Joker lifted his glass, filled with an alcoholic drink that nobody had bothered describing further to him. The whole circus troupe went quiet, and prepared for what their ringleader had to say. "As ye all know, today could've been a catastrophe. Which is why I want all of ye to give Star a hand for savin' the day!" he yelled, his cheeks blushing with the warmth coming from the alcohol. The entire gang started applauding. Star started blushing, waving her hands around like mad in an attempt to make them stop.

George was sitting next to her, his hands tightly around his stuffed bear. He loved it dearly, even though he had scolded his sister for buying him something so expensive. After Star had told him that Joker and Freckles had chipped in however, the boy had let go of the matter, and extended a sincere thanks to the both of them. He also clapped his tiny hands, proud of his sister's achievement.

Joker held up his hand, in an attempt to get everyone quiet again. He succeeded, after a short amount of time. "And that is why Star can give this performance every time, with me, as a reward for doin' such a great job. It's not exactly what ye can call a real act, but she's gettin' there y'all!"

They all cheered, and several people clapped her on the back, sending her nose – first in her glass of the same alcoholic drink Joker was drinking. Inhaling it partly, she started coughing violently, thus missing the poisonous glare that Beast had sent her way.  
>"Honestly… They're forcing me to do that everyday now? I'm starting to wish I hadn't said anything at all at this rate!" she confided in George, who immediately gave her a scolding look.<p>

"Big sis, you were great out there, it's no wonder that Joker wants you to do that again. It's a really great compliment, so you should go and thank him."

Star sighed, knowing that comment was as true as it could get. "You know George… you're really too mature for your age. Why can't you just tell me I'm right all the time?"

George chuckled when she said that. "That's because big sis didn't raise me that way." He replied, once again telling her the truth.

She rolled her eyes and rubbed her knuckles on his head. "Why you little! Acting like you're so high and mighty, I'll teach you!"

George started begging for mercy as she tickled him. "No, please, no!"

"Too late kiddo, now you shall suffer the full wrath of Star!"

A little while further, Dagger and Joker were leaning against some bags, listening to the band breaking in the same tune that Star had used for her improve piece. Joker was looking at Star and George who were messing around, occasionally taking a sip from his drink.  
>"Joker?"<p>

"Joker?" Dagger frowned, and followed Joker's gaze. He saw he was looking at the nearby Star, who seemed to be having a fun enough time. "Oooooh, I get it." He said in a knowing tone. He elbowed Joker in an amicable way, disrupting the man's train of thought.

"Ye've takin' a liking to Star, haven't ye old-timer?" he said, taking a big swig of his drink.

Joker gave an agreeing shrug. "Yes, of course. She's a great asset."

"That's not what I mean." Dagger said, rolling his eyes at his older brother. "I mean, ye really, really, reeaaaally like her, don't ye?"

Joker choked on the small rest of his drink, coughing as the burning liquid entered his system. "Th – that's preposterous!" he managed to bring out.

Dagger shrugged, having his signature smile on his face. "Ye looked at her just now like I look at Big sis when she passes."

"It's yer imagination!" a flustered Joker replied, not even daring to glance in Star's direction now. True, he had been having some thoughts about the girl – woman – lately, but not any more than he thought about any other of his friends. Right?

"Really now?" Dagger said, blinking rapidly at the older man, letting his eyelashes flash. "So, if Star were to kiss someone at this little party of ours, ye wouldn't be jealous?" he asked, flashing a small grin. Joker immediately glanced in Star's direction, almost relieved at seeing there was nobody near her except her brother.  
>"Ye would be!" Dagger exclaimed, clapping his hands in delight. "Go an' ask her to dance then!"<p>

"No, Dagger, ye've got it all wrong! It's not –"

He couldn't finish his sentence as Dagger gave him a shove. He staggered over to Star, bumping into her as she was smoothing her brother's hair. She turned around, not looking annoyed at being bumped into by the ginger ringleader.  
>"Joker, hi!" she said, as the man fought the urge to run away instead of asking her.<p>

"Ah, Star… I…uh…"

"Thank you for not being mad at me." She said, meaning every word. "And I'm happy that you think the show was good. Or is that not what you wanted to talk about?"

Joker looked at the top of the tent when he spoke. "I … that is, ye… let's dance!" he finally blurted out. When he looked at Star, she immediately nodded.

"Dance, huh? Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt, just this once…." she said, taking the man's hand and leading him towards the other dancers. The contact of her hand at once sent another flutter through the man's heart.  
>He caught Dagger's gaze, who gave him the thumbs – up. 'I can't be in love… right?' he asked himself. He didn't know it quite then yet. It would take him some thinking…<p>

And he couldn't ignore another flutter as she looked in his eyes.


	8. Flirting Isn't Easy

|In The Ring, Practice Time|

Star was stretching a little bit, feeling sore after the previous day's exploits. Sure, Joker had caught her, but he hadn't been able to prevent her from bruising up on her ass. She could feel the pain every time she moved, shooting through her body. She almost jumped up when someone tapped her back.

"Peter, Wendy, what's up?" she asked, surprised to see the tiresome duo trying to talk to her. Usually they were trying to cause some kind of mischief, to great annoyance of Joker who wasn't too happy about it as he had to keep them in check.

"Hey there Star." Peter said, looking her up and down in her outfit. She reminded herself that the boy, no matter how juvenile he looked, was her senior by a couple of years. The same went for Wendy, who despite her looks was probably in her mid – twenties, just like Joker and the others.

"Hello Peter." She replied with what she hoped was a smile. She was still trying to smile like Joker wanted her too, but she wasn't quite able to pull it off. "What are you guys doing?" she asked, hoping for a reply this time.

Wendy was rocking up and down on the balls of her feet as she looked up at the taller woman. "We were wonderin'… since ye were so good at walkin' the tightrope, an' ye did a show with Joker, would ye like to try yer hand at the trapeze?" The small woman twirled a lock of hair around her finger, looking like an innocent child who was asking a favor from an adult.

Star frowned, not liking where this was going. "I don't think that's such a good idea, I'm supposed to be practicing with Joker today…"

"Ah, didn't he tell ye?" Peter interrupted her, waving a hand in no particular direction. "He thought ye might like a nice warming up first, so how about we get to it, eh?" he grabbed her hand and started to pull her towards the poles where she was supposed to climb up.

"Ah, but I really don't want to –" Star started to object as the children pulled her with them. Dagger's voice rang out behind them before they had taken more than a few steps.

"'Ey, 'ey, ey!" he said, walking up to them with long strides, not looking happy at having spotted the duo pulling Star towards the trapeze.

"What do ye two thing ye're doing?" he asked, a surprising strict tone in his voice as he looked down on the two troublemakers. Peter kicked a non – existing stone, holding his hands behind his head.

"Nothin' much… We were just…" he tried to think of a convincing lie to tell the younger man, but couldn't think one up quite fast enough.

Dagger seemed to be more annoyed than he ought to be. "The two of ye know well enough that Star's trainin' with Joker today. An' trying to get 'er to do somethin' so dangerous, ye ought to be ashamed."

Wendy rolled her eyes when he said that. "She would've been fine. There's a safety net, isn't there? Even if she fell, she wouldn've got 'urt. After all, we wouldn't dream of messin' with the best source of entertainment there is."

Star frowned when she heard that. "'What are you talking about, Wendy?" she asked.

Wendy turned to Star, seemingly happy that the ex-thief had asked her. "Well, if ye really want to know, I 'appen to know that Joker l-"

Her stream of words was cut off by Peter, who clasped a hand over her mouth and shook his head. "If ye go 'round spillin' the beans now, 'ow are we s'posed to enjoy the show?" he asked her, annoyed at her shortsightedness.

Wendy scratched the back of her head, laughing nervously. "Right, sorry Peter. Star, forget everything I said, okay?" she said, waving a finger at the younger woman.

Star blinked, not getting at all what everyone was up to. "Uh… sure, I guess…" she mumbled, not sure if that was the right answer.

"Good girl." Wendy said, patting her on the knee, as that was the highest decent place she could reach.

The two ran off. Star guessed that those two would spend the rest of their day trying to get people in trouble, and she let out a deep sigh. "Thanks for saving me back there, Dagger." She said, relieved at not having to swing on the trapeze. Dagger put an arm around her shoulders, giving her a squeeze. Star let it pass, for just this once. The people in the circus all liked to touch the others in order to derive some comfort from the presence of living people. She on the other hand preferred to derive comfort from not having to touch people. At times her jaw still hurt from the time that…

_"Father, don't!" Valentine cried out, grabbing her father's hand as he moved to strike his son. "It's George, you can't hit him!" she yelled at him. Her father's hand lashed out towards her instead, throwing her back a few paces. It hurt something fierce, the insignia of her father's ring a rapidly rising blue mark on her cheek. He was drunk again, for no reason at all. How often had he not been drinking and threatening his house members these past few weeks?_

_He walked towards her, his hands outstretched to embrace her in a hug. "Valentine, my daughter…" he sobbed, pulling her up so he could place his arms around her. "Forgive me, my child. This is all Claudine's fault… it's all her fault…"  
>She did not return his embrace, letting her arms hang limply as she gazed towards the crying George, who was shocked at all the yelling and seeing his older sister getting beaten. It was not her father's wife's fault, she knew.<br>It was all her father's fault._

"Star, ye okay?" Dagger asked, releasing her from his grip and looking at the woman in a worry. "Ye're a bit pale. Ye're not sick, are ye?" Star brushed his hand away, coming back to reality. It was all the past now, and no longer her concern. Her father had died in the fire consuming his ancestral mansion and she and George were free from his grasp.

"I'm fine, thanks Dagger. I was just… thinking about something." She said, trying to smile again. She saw Joker approaching, dressed up again in that stand-out manner and turning his hat a little bit. Their eyes met for a second, but Joker broke the eye-contact just as fast. He too seemed to be concerned about something. He shared a smile with Dagger, before turning to Star.

"Star… nice to see ye." He mumbled, still not looking her in the eye. Star frowned, not used at seeing Joker so timid. Usually he'd salute her with a big smile, a cunning wink and perhaps even a quick rub on her head.

"Joker… hi." She replied, not sure what she was supposed to say when he was so timid.

"Well, I'll leave the two of ye to yer practice run. See ya later." Dagger said, giving Joker a jab in the sides with his elbow. "Ol'timer, if ye're going to be actin' all weird about it, Star's going to worry about ye. Try to act natural." Dagger give him a heartfelt advice, one he only to frequently followed in his pursuit of Beast.

Joker blinked at his friend, before letting out a smile. "Okay…" he mumbled, still not sure how he was supposed to look Star in the eyes without blurting out something stupid. In his short flings with town-girls things were simple : they'd talk, they'd dance, and eventually they'd end up in bed together, no strings attached.

Star wasn't the kind of girl who would tolerate that. Furthermore, he didn't want her to tolerate that. But being actually committed to her, that was… strange, and a first for the ginger. He blinked when Star waved a hand in front of his face, forcing him to focus on her. "Sheesh, Joker, you're acting stranger than usual. Where's that smile you're always talking about? Did you forget how to do it? Here, I'll show you!" she smiled at him, slightly less forced than usual. Although it wasn't a real 'smile' smile, it did end up making his heart skip a beat again.

He smiled back, but it was a second too late to be convincing. Star grabbed the yellow bow around his neck, pulling his face closer to hers. "What's wrong with you Joker? Usually you'd have me running all over the place by now, commenting that I'm not smiling enough."  
>She placed a hand against his forehead, wiping away his red bangs as she felt his temperature. His face flushed as she did so, making Star frown even more. "You'd better not be getting sick you know. I'll not be acting as a nursemaid for you, so you'd better keep standing on your own two legs. And you do seem to have a small increase in temperature…"<br>Her voice trailed off as she bit her lip, thinking about what she should do. She didn't notice Joker's eyes locked on her lips, and had no idea what his thoughts were. Removing her hand, she instead starting fixing the yellow bow around his neck. "And you haven't even dressed yourself properly! And that after scolding me last time because my stockings weren't perfectly straight the last time."

Joker put his hands on top of hers as she was redoing the silken bow. His heart was beating a steady drum now, and he hoped that she couldn't feel the pounding from where she was standing. "I'm fine, Star. Ye shouldn't be worryin' about me." Looking down he noticed how small and delicate her hands were. His prosthetic, which he had always been so proud of now seemed to be some kind of abomination just for being near her. He pulled away his hands, and coughed once. "Anyhow, yesterday yer work on walkin' on the balls was a bit sloppy. It'd be nice if ye could juggle while ye're walking on them too." He added, trying to change the subject. Her eyes kept scanning his face and he wished she would stop looking at him like that.

"Well, what do you suggest then?" she asked him, turning around to view the big balls that were used in the circus. Joker let out a big sigh as he noticed Dagger giving him the thumbs-up from afar. The man was getting too excited about this, at least that was the ringleader's opinion. When he spotted Peter and Wendy watching the two of them with similar interest, he couldn't help but wish that he were alone now, far from spying eyes.

"… and maybe then I could do the jump so that you'll be able to catch me properly. It would look a lot neater, wouldn't you agree?" Star finished her talking, only to see Joker stare intently at a point on the other side of the tent. Dagger was standing there, doing a thumbs-up to Joker. When he noticed her looking, the blond man quickly hid his hands behind his back and started to walk away with a whistle. Star sweatdropped. "You know, somebody has to teach Dagger the finer points of subtlety…" she muttered towards Joker, who froze up when he realized she had seen Dagger.

He scratched the back of his head, letting out a nervous laugh. "Ah, yes, it would seem like that…. Star, what are ye doing with my staff?" he asked her, seeing the girl inspecting it from up close.

She handed it back to Joker, with an apologetic look on her face. "Just inspecting it from up close, that's all. I thought there was something special with –" she stopped talking when Joker accidentally hit the one concealed button on the staff, letting a bunch of flowers spring out.

"Gah, sorry!" he muttered, trying to jam the flowers back in with a flustered face. He stopped trying to hide them when he heard Star laughing behind him. When she caught his look she laughed even harder, not being able to stop herself. She stopped her laughing after a while, looking at the man while she still had the tears in her eyes.

"Getting so embarrassed over some flowers…" she managed to get out, suppressing a new laughing fit.

Joker frowned, realizing that getting laughed at by the girl he liked wasn't the best course of action. "Just an accident, 's all…" he mumbled, not daring to look her way. He caught her look towards the flowers, and decided to make the best of the situation. "Star, ye like flowers?" he asked her, pointing his staff towards her.

She stopped her laughing, and looked at Joker in surprise. "For me?" she asked him, pointing at herself.

Joker nodded, looking away. "Yeah… I won't be able to get these back in, and if ye like 'em… ye can have them, but ye don't have to take them." He said, hoping it didn't sound as silly as he pictured it did.

Star took out the flowers, bringing them to her nose so she could inhale the aroma. When Joker looked back at her, she sent him a genuine smile. "I love them Joker. Thanks for the flowers."

"It's nothin'…" he muttered, forcing himself to keep looking at her face.

She kept the smile on her face, and threw him a wink. "Getting flowers from my boss, this must be a sign that I'm doing a good job, right?"

"Yeah… it's a good sign." Joker said, pressing the button on his staff so it would close up. Then he straightened his back, and took a deep breath. "Enough with the lazin' around now! Let's get to work!"

Star nodded, and saluted him with a grin. "Yes sir!" she replied, getting ready for a work-out. She was happy that Joker was acting a bit more like himself. And she did like the flowers.

|That Evening|

Star let her shoulders roll a bit, tired from all the running around and. The bruise on her ass felt like it was planning on killing her. As she entered her tent, she got tackled by Freckles and George, who threw her to the ground.  
>"Yeouch…" she mumbled, trying to get up as the two boys held her by the waist. Though Freckles was taller than she was, now lying on the ground like that, it was as if he were still but a child. "What's wrong with you two?" she asked, the bouquet of flowers in her right hand, which was still sprawled behind her.<p>

"Big sister, it's been storming! With lightning and thunder and… we're scared…" George whined.

Freckles nodded, not in the least ashamed at admitting fear. "Can we sleep with ye tonight?" he asked. Star sweatdropped.

"Good god, and you two are boys? Come on, let's get you both inside first." She said, getting up and checking the flowers. It had been years since she last had gotten flowers… and these were beautiful, especially if you kept in mind they had been stuck in such a narrow space as Joker's staff.

Freckles noticed the flowers, looking at them in surprise. "Ye got flowers? Who gave 'em?"

"They were a gift from Joker." Star explained, hanging the flowers upside down to dry in the tent.

Freckles and George both inspected the flowers with an investigating eye. "Joker gave ye flowers?" Freckles asked, not believing it. "Talk about once in a blue moon. He usually doesn't use them, unless it's to strike down some woman's complaints. Were ye complaining to 'im?"

Star thought it over. "Well, I did think he was ill, so maybe he wanted me to shut up about that?" she suggested.

Freckles shook his head. "Nah… that ain't complaining, but being concerned. Who knows why he gave 'em to ye."

George put his arms over one another, glaring at the flowers. "If he tries to marry my big sister, I'm going to ask him a lot of questions." The small boy said in a decisive voice. "Like how he earns a living, and what his future plans are, and…"

Star rolled her eyes at her brother. "Please, George. You already know what he does for a living, and he's not planning on marrying me. Those flowers were just a token of appreciation." She pointed it out with a certainty that swayed the younger boy immediately.

"Fine then… but he'll still have to answer to me!" George said, not being happy about it.

George climbed next to Freckles in the lower bed, soon followed by Star, who wasn't too sure about sharing a bed with a boy. Then she suddenly noted… "Freckles… are you a girl?"

It was quiet for a few seconds, before Freckles replied. "yes…" Silence continued, before Freckles continued. "Are ye… mad that I didn't tell ye?"

Star paused for a few seconds, thinking about her answer. "I'm not mad… I'm sure you had your reasons… although a heads-up would've been nice." She admitted. "Why are you pretending to be a boy?" she asked the girl.

"Actually, I'm Doll. But the first-string members all have their own tents… and I don't like sleeping alone… if ye're mad, I can go and sleep in my own tent…" Doll said, with a voice that suggested she'd do it, even though she dreaded the idea of being alone. Star hesitated for a moment, before putting an arm around the girl and her brother at the same time.

"I accepted you as a brother… so why would I say no to a cute sister, right?" she said, putting her head on the pillow, feeling her eyes fall closed as the thunder outside kept going on. Doll wanted to say something, but Star put a hand on the girl's head, making her shut up. "I said it's fine. Go to sleep now, lil' sis."

"… Thanks, Star."


	9. A Talk With Snake

|In the Morning|

"Dagger, 'ave ye seen Star an' George? Or even Doll? We're about to leave and I still haven't seen any of 'em." Joker said, tired from looking around the camp for the trio. Somebody had to ride the cart with Devil, and Star was the only one comfortable enough around the animal to make the ride pleasant.

Dagger frowned when he heard that, scratching underneath his hat when he heard that question. "Now that ye mention it, haven't seem 'em yet. Did ye check their tents?" he asked, knowing that those would be among the latest things to be broken up that day.

Joker nodded, knowing he had forgotten to check somewhere. It was nothing like Doll to sleep for so long. The girl knew better than to laze about, especially since he had told her they would be moving on again the next day. He made his way towards said tent, keeping a watchful eye out for any trouble. When he arrived at the tent, he didn't bother knocking, instead opting to walk in right away.

"Oy, slackers, get movin'!" he yelled, banging his cane on the top bunk. Instead of Doll's face popping up from there, instead there was movement in the lower bed. George, Doll and Star all popped up, the latter seemingly very annoyed at being woken up.

"Joker…' she mumbled, looking at him from beneath her messed up bed hair, … what time is it?" she asked, suppressing a yawn.

Joker let out a sigh when he heard that. "It's time to get a move on, that's 'ow late it is. And why are the three of ye in the same bunk?" he asked, quite curious to know the reason for that. Star hadn't struck him as someone who enjoyed sharing a bed with anyone else, seeing as how she tried to avoid getting hugged all too often.

"Not my fault…" Star mumbled, swinging her legs out of the bed as she started to look where she had put her clothes. "Them were both scared last night, and I didn't have a choice but to let them sleep in my bed if I wanted to sleep at all."

"Sis… 'Them' is not a proper ladies' word, okay?" George complained, wiping the sleepies out of his eyes. Doll said nothing, instead gliding out of the bed as well in search of her shirt.

Joker leant on his cane when he heard that, slightly amused by such incentives. "Well then, get ready. Ain't got much time left, and ye guys aren't even dressed."

Star shook her head, not happy at being woken up like that. Just as she pulled out one of her stockings from underneath the bed she realized something. Resolutely she stood up and turned to Joker. "Get out." She said, starting to shove him to the door.

"What?" the man asked, not sure what was going on now.

"I said get out. I'm not letting some perv look at me and Doll while we're changing, don't care if he's my boss or not." Star said, giving the man an extra push.

Joker laughed when he heard that, getting out of the tent by himself. When Star went back in, he couldn't resist but stick his head inside for a second. "Hey Star?" he said, feeling that teasing her was indeed the best way to handle her for the time being. Until he could work up the courage to actually tell her how he was feeling.

"Yes?"

"I think yer night robe is cute though."

"GET OUT!"

|On The Road|

"There's a good boy, yes you are!" Star coed to Devil, the pitch-black steed that snorted violently when Doll approached too close for his liking. He allowed Star to pat him on the nose, and feed him little snacks. He even allowed her on his back, which had earned her an incomparable status amongst the stable hands, who were all deadly afraid to even near the horse. She left the horse with a final pat on his nose, before walking off in search of food. She was quite hungry, and hoped that Doll in her guise as Freckles had secured something for her. She was stopped soon enough by Snake, who was carrying a bowl filled with stew and some biscuits.

"Snake, great timing, did you happen to see D-… Freckles?" she asked the snakeman, who tried to appear as inconspicuous as possible, which was quite hard when one was covered in snakes. Snake also seemed to be painfully aware of this, which only added to his attempts to somehow become invisible.

"Freckles said this is for you… says Wilde." The man said, avoiding her eyes as he stuck out the food. Star accepted, but when her fingers touched that of the man, he pulled his hand away as if he had burned himself. The biscuits fell to the ground, even though Star managed to save her bowl of stew. Snake's face flushed when he realized his error, but he was too embarrassed to utter a single word in apology. Star let out a sigh, looking around in search of one of the food carts.

"Well, maybe I'll be able to get some biscuits if I ask nicely…" she said out loud, trying not to pay any attention to the man's obvious discomfort.

"I'll go search… says Goethe." Snake muttered rushing off in search of replacement biscuits. Star tried to stop him, but the man was already gone.

"I can never get a normal lunch around here, can I?" she sighed, trying to think back to a time when she had been able to eat peacefully, without snakes or tigers or dagger throwing crazies around.

Snake rushed back, holding two biscuits in front of him as he slowly walked towards her. The man was doing his utter best to avoid her look, or that of anyone, as he approached. She accepted the biscuits, this time not touching his hands. "Snake… it's okay to actually relax when you're talking to me, you know? Haven't eaten anyone up to this day, and it's very unlikely for me to start now." She said, trying to break the ice by making a joke.

The man didn't reply, casting her a rather wary glance. She waved a hand around, before gesturing he should follow her. He did as she asked, which was already quite to her surprise.  
>"So, how have you been enjoying the ride so far?" she asked him, dipping one of the biscuits in the stew. Snake didn't answer, staring straight ahead. Not allowing herself to be beaten by this behavior, she continued talking. "Personally I've been thinking that maybe we should stick a bit closer to small towns like this, so we might earn some money. I get that the real money is in the big cities, but it would be nice if we could earn a little bit on the side, wouldn't you agree?"<p>

One of the snakes – she was guessing Emily – looked in her direction, before wrapping itself around Snake's arm. Snake was leaning on his hand, staring out amongst the crowd, not paying any attention to her. She let out a sigh, scooping in the warm stew and wondered where George was. 'Probably pestering Joker again for juggling lessons…' she thought, putting her bowl to the side.

"You're strange… I think." Snake mumbled.

Star opened her eyes, shocked. It was the first time the man had said something that wasn't being transmitted by his pets. "S-s-snake? You can talk?" she asked, flailing her arms around.

"Of course he can… says Wilde." Snake replied, sending Star right back in a dejected mood.

"I meant that you actually voice your own opinions too, instead of only your snake's. That's quite surprising, actually… and what do you mean by 'you are strange', huh?" she yelled, finally realizing the insult. For the one time he did voice an opinion, it just had to be a comment on her, didn't it?

Snake jerked away, not comfortable at her sudden outburst. Star didn't notice, waving around a piece of biscuit as she kept talking. "If it's about me constantly falling down when I have to juggle, I can't help it if I'm not used to that kind of thing! And last time was Dagger's fault for having me trip over some of his daggers too!"

Star stuffed the biscuit in her mouth, chomping it and pouting at the same time. Getting insulted by Snake, the most timid member of the entire troupe, was of course something that was right up her alley. Snake was quiet, not sure if he ought to explain himself or not. The girl was frightening to him, though not for the reasons that she probably suspected. It was not that she was loud, or unexpectedly friendly that were the reasons for him shutting close when she came near.  
>No, it was that she was a member of that hated nobility… the nobility that had laughed at him when they came to view him when he was still just an object owned by a coarse and brutish man. She was part of that caste, that perceived themselves as better, not just better than him but also better than anyone in this circus. Cruel and hardhearted people, who had paid good money to see him perform, or even get hurt before he was saved. And this girl had….<br>"You accepted Doll as your sister… why, we are wondering?" he said, not looking at her. For anybody of noble birth to just accept one of their ranks as a sibling was weird, at least in his eyes it was. He wondered what her motivations had been for doing so.

"Hah? What's so strange about that?" Star asked, forgetting about the remainder of the stew. It had grown cool anyway, so it was of little more interest to her either way. The pale winter sun stroked her skin as she sat there, together with Snake.

"You have no blood relation with her, so why would you care?" Snake pressed on, forgetting to add his usual aftermath to his sentence. It had been puzzling him, and he would like to have an answer now.

"No blood relation, huh?" Star asked, her tone suddenly dejected as she thought some things over. She straightened her head, looking straight to the man asking such a question. "Blood relationship or not, I have decided to accept her as my family because it is my own choice. To be siblings not by blood but by choice is a wonderful thing, and perhaps even better because I have no true obligation to love Doll, but have chosen to do so."

"Well said indeed." A voice rang out behind them. As the duo looked back, Joker was standing behind them, looking down on them with his cane in one hand. "I would've thought ye thought like that, Star. Ye're becoming a greater part of our family with each day passin', after all."

Star blushed, embarrassed with the knowledge that Joker had heard her say that. "Gah, why do you have to turn up at a moment that I say something like that, huh?" she said, jumping up so she wouldn't be so much lower than him.

Joker chuckled, rubbing her head with his good hand, messing up her hair. "No need to be bashful 'bout it. Ye've been accepted by us, so ye should be happy."The ginger said smiling at her, bending over towards her, as if he were about to say something. Star blushed even more now, leaning back.

"I'm going to see where Doll and George are…" she mumbled, not looking in Joker's green eyes. Even though she had said that she had accepted Doll as family, it didn't mean that she accepted the others as brothers and sisters too. Moreover, Joker didn't exude that brotherly feeling that Dagger seemed to shine out.

Joker was not brother material, at least not for her.

She turned around, walking away as she pondered that thought. If Joker was not a brother to her, what exactly would he be to her? A boss, for one thing. A valuable friend also, even if she wasn't planning on telling him that. But those two things somehow didn't quite capture the whole picture. She kicked a stone away, frustrated about the way how she was unable to formulate a word that exactly said what Joker was to her.

"Let go of me!"

Star looked up. In her thinking, she had wandered towards the edges of the camp, where there was nowhere near as much activity. She was the only person who was here, at least she would've thought so if there hadn't been someone calling for help. Furthermore, the voice had sounded a lot like…

"I said, let go of me!"

It was Beast. And she sounded to be in trouble. Star didn't like the idea of having to go to that woman's help, seeing as how she would probably skin Star as fast as she would any attacker. But then again, Beast was also a member of the entire circus family. Star rolled her eyes at her own actions, already knowing that she would somehow regret her current action, before she ran towards where Beast's voice had come from.  
>She ran up the road, towards the rickety bridge they had passed that day. Beast was standing there, along two more muscular built men who didn't seem to have any friendly intentions with the woman. Star took a deep breath, deciding to use the element of surprise to her advantage. She forced a big smile on her face, before walking in their sight, waving at Beast in a best friends sort of manner.<p>

"There you are! Do you know how long I've been looking for you?" she yelled out, walking next to the woman. Every thieves sense in her body screamed that she should have taken a more covert route, perhaps have tried to take the men out from a distance. Still, she would have had to come out in the open eventually, so she might as well have some advantage in the form of a surprise.

"Come on then, I need your help packing up, so let's get a move on." She said, grabbing Beast by the arm and dragging her along. 'So far so good…' she thought to herself, taking a step. Before they had gotten any further, one of the men grabbed her collar.  
>"Crap!" she almost said, and would have if it hadn't been for her own clothes almost choking her.<p>

"What's this then, eh? Trying to take away our lass then?" the man that had grabbed her by the collar asked.

Star coughed, clearly smelling the sausage the man had eaten for his lunch. Being timid wouldn't be of a lot of help to her, so she might as well try to bluff her way out of this. "Phiewww, ever hear of a tooth brush? Trust me, it's a miracle, and perhaps then I won't be on the verge of fainting due to your bad breath. I mean, I'm almost getting cavities from your breath!"

The man blinked, taken aback by the girl's comment. His mate started chuckling, which earned him a rather vicious look from his buddy. "Second of all, you might want to put me down and wander a good long way away from here. My friends back in the camp won't take kindly to you two trying to hurt their friends. So unless you were thinking of having a singing career as a soprano, you might want to consider letting me go."

The man blinked. Apparently half of her threat hadn't been quite clear to him. She rolled her eyes, trying not to appear afraid. "I meant they'll castrate you." She said, putting as much contempt as she could in that one sentence. The man shook her back and forth, his mate keeping Beast in check. The woman, however strong and skilled she might be with Betty, was no match for the men without her whip. Bad Breath grinned at her, sending another walm of stink her way as he spoke.

"I seriously doubt that, eh? You probably came prancing around her without anybody, now did you?"

"I wouldn't quite be countin' on that." Joker's voice sounded from behind them. Star turned her head, seeing the ginger man accompanied by Snake. His snakes fell to the ground, approaching the two tugs menacingly. Joker scratched his cheek, looking at the snakes moving towards the people that had dared to attack two of the troupe members. "I would get out of there if I were ye. These are all pretty venomous snakes, and it wouldn't be pretty seein' what 'appens if ye get bitten."

The man holding Beast pushed her away against the rotting railing of the bridge. The wood creaked treacherously, but held firm. Star could feel the man still holding her collar shake as he watched the coiling snakes approach him. With a curse he pushed her to the sides. Star braced herself, expecting to be launched against the wood and be rewarded with another pair of bruises.  
>Instead of that, she felt the wood give in beneath her. Splinters sprang away as she fell forward, and she blinked as she felt herself falling. Beneath her she could see the roaring river, getting ready to swallow her as she fell.<br>She closed her eyes, preparing herself as she felt her feet leaving the contact with the wooden bridge.

"STAR!" Joker yelled, moving without thinking as he saw her fall forwards towards the river. He ran, hoping he would be able to catch her. When he saw she had already fallen too far, he didn't pause a step. He could hear Beast screaming at him to stop running, but he didn't listen. Only one thought filled his mind now, and that was that he couldn't allow Star to die. "STAR!"  
>He jumped, after her, hoping that somehow he would be able to do something. Beast sat on her knees, tears streaming down her face as she saw Joker jump like that.<p>

"JOKER!"


	10. The Past Revealed

|The River|

Star only had a few seconds to see that Joker jumped in after her. She inhaled, preparing to yell at him, but before she was able to the water already closed above her. The cold immediately forced itself in her body, and she smacked in a rock hidden underneath the water. The current pushed her up, and she gasped for air as she got back up.  
>"JOKER?" she yelled once, not daring to open her mouth any more. She couldn't see him anywhere in the roaring waters, that foamed from the violence with which they crashed upon the rocks in the river bed. Suddenly she spotted a flash of red, yellow and purple. "JOKER!" she yelled again, before the water splashed in her face, making her inhale it in reflex.. Joker looked, seeing her being shaken back and forth by the current, and he attempted to make his way to her.<p>

'Idiot… bleeding idiot!' she thought to herself, trying to keep her head above the water. What was he trying to prove jumping in after her like that? She was getting angry, which was probably to be preferred over panicking. If only she could reach him and give him a piece of her mind. If only he could be near her now…  
>Before she could finish her last thought, she slammed back first in a rock. The impact drove the air from her lunges, and she could feel the rock scratching her back. Still, it allowed her to remain stationary, and it gave Joker a chance to catch up to her. He had seen her, and fought to get closer to her location, instead of being swept past her. He would've been pushed away from her if she hadn't somehow thrown out her hand, holding on to the rock with her other hand. He grabbed her with his good hand, the prosthetic as if by some miracle still attached to his body. He got near her, their bodies pressed together by the water as he looked at her.<p>

"Star, ye're safe!" he said, trying to ignore the water slamming in his back.

She fumed, grabbing him by the collar, both because she was angry and because she didn't want to be separated again from him. "Now is not the time for 'thank god' and 'you're safe'!" she said, glaring at the man. She noticed his make-up was almost all washed away, the remainder dripping from his eyes. "What are we going to do, Joker?" she asked him.

To her annoyance, Joker let out a relieved smile. "We let ourselves be taken with the water. I've been 'ere before, the water will calm down soon enough."

"You mean you fell in the water here before?" Star asked, her teeth shattering as she tried to ignore the cold being spread in her body. Joker shook his head, before he explained that they had passed by the river here once already.

"Even if the water calms down after a while, if we get too cold we'll die just the same." Star said as she glared at the ginger.

Joker sighed, before grabbing her arm, squeezing it as he grinned. "The longer we stay 'ere, the colder it'll get." He pointed out, before dragging her to the sides. The water pushed at them, carrying them away from the rock faster than Star could react. "Idiot!" she tried to yell at Joker, but the water pushed in her mouth before she could form the word. She held on to Joker tighter, determined not to get scared. So far her anger had served her well, so she would remain angry until they got to dry land.

|A little while later|

Star coughed up the last bits of water as they dragged themselves more up the shore. Her clothes clung to her body in an uncomfortable way, somehow making her feel even wetter. Joker let himself fall on his back next to her, his prosthetic lying there being totally useless. She lay down on her stomach, catching her breath as she lay there, thinking nothing. Her body felt heavy, as if she weighed double of what she otherwise weighed. Every muscle ached and shivered, exhausted from the efforts she had made trying to stay alive.

Joker got up, folding his legs under him as he put his hand on her back. His hand was just as cold as her body, he was worried to notice. They had gotten out of the water just in time. "Star, are ye alright?" he asked, hoping she would be fine.

Before he knew what happened, she slapped him. His head was thrown to the side, cheek throbbing with the impact. "You idiot!" she yelled at him, sitting on her knees, face completely washed clean from any make-up.

He looked back at her, flabbergasted at the way she reacted. "Star, what's the matter with ye?"

"What's the matter with me? You're one to talk! You're the idiot that jumped in a freezing cold river after me, aren't you? Why would you do something that's so… so… agh!" her hand lashed out again at him, but this time he was prepared. He caught it in mid-air, looking Star in the eyes. She burst out in tears, shoulders sagging as if something snapped deep inside her.

"Star?" he asked, being confused by her sudden mood swing. When he got closer to her to check if she was hurt, she started hitting him on the shoulders, though it wasn't anywhere near as hard as the smack in his face.

"Stupid idiot! What were you trying to prove, huh?" she asked in between her sobs. "Getting yourself almost killed like that, what's the point of it? You could've cracked open your skull jumping down like that, or drowned, or frozen to death! You stupid, stupid, stupid man!"

Joker took her in his arms, but that only made her cry harder as she threw her arms around his back, like a child desperate for comfort. He tried to hush her by gently rocking her, making meaningless soothing sounds. "It's okay now, isn't it? We're both alive, and nothing bad 'appened. Stop yer cryin' Star. It's over now, it's all over."  
>Her weeping turned into sobbing, and the sobbing turned into soft hiccups. She settled down, but still Joker held her tight, resting his chin on the top of her head. What did it matter that the two of them were soaking wet, somewhere all alone in a forsaken place, when he could hold her? When she clung to him in a way he had only just dared to dream of?<p>

After a while she pulled away, averting her face from him. With her wet sleeves she rubbed her tears away, though she only succeeded in making her face more wet than it was before. Joker plucked at his clothes, that stuck to his body as if someone had glued them on. Star stood up, her legs wobbling as if they could cave in underneath her any moment.  
>"We should get a move on, find the others." She said, turning around. She had regained her composure, at least she hoped she had. She hadn't cried like that ever since she and George had run away from home. Letting her guard down like that, it was dangerous since it made her seem weak. If she had learned one thing in her life, it was that one should never appear weak.<p>

Joker shook his head when she said that. She threw him a questioning look. "We'll be fine. Best thing to do now is wait 'till Dagger an' the others look for us. If we move away, they won't be able to find us."

Star let out a groan, acknowledging he was right. She didn't like waiting around though, so she volunteered to gather some firewood, so they could dry up. Moving her limbs was harder than she had expected, but she grit her teeth and didn't let up. They needed to get warm, and a fire would make it easier for the others to see them. Though she didn't know how late it was exactly, it was somewhere in the late afternoon. It would be dark if the others arrived, until they planned on waiting until morning to search for them. Knowing them however, they would be far too worried to wait until dawn to look for them. From the moment they had gone missing, Snake and Beast would have alerted the others. It would have only taken them a few minutes to mount horses and start searching the sides of the river.

Arms loaded with firewood she returned to Joker, who was examining his prosthetic in a worried fashion. He couldn't move it anymore, and he started to tap against it with his other hand, letting it swing back and forth. When he heard Star arrive, he looked up with a guilty look on his face.  
>"It's broken, huh?" she asked, dropping down the wood. Joker nodded, feeling unhappy with the situation.<p>

"Did ye expect anythin' else?" he asked, a bitter tone not entirely concealed in his voice. Though the prosthetic enabled him to do things he normally couldn't, and he truly did delight in its unusual form, it still was a solution to a problem. If he hadn't lost his arm, he wouldn't have needed it. When the prosthetic broke down, he was always reminded of the fact that he was unwhole.

Star looked at him, arranging the logs and kindle in the way she had seen people at the circus do all the time. "Doc will be able to fix it, like always." She said, in a way that suggested she had complete faith in the man's abilities.

Joker gave a small grunt, before he ignored the broken body part. Then he noticed Star looking at the pile of wood in a questioning manner. "Star, what are ye doin'?" he asked. He had expected that she would start the fire right away, but then she said…

"I don't know how to start a fire." She admitted, giving the wood an interrogative glance.

Joker let out a sigh, before he walked over. "Well, I can't do it with one hand, but I'll show ye. Look closely." He said, as he started to explain how she would go about building a fire best. Star followed his instructions, and soon enough a few little flames started to flicker. She let out an excited gasp, carefully nurturing the little flames. Joker held a close eye on her, making sure she didn't set the place on fire. When the fire was finally well started, the both of them huddled in front of it, relishing the warmth.

"You know we're going to be sick, right?" she asked him, eyes closed as she rested her head on her knees. Her clothes had gone from wet to clammy and sticky. Joker made a concurring sounds, looking at Star as the flames cast their light on her face. He wanted to know more about her, wanted to learn what made her who she was.

He wanted to know everything.

"Star… why did ye run away from home?" he asked eventually, breaking the silence. She tensed up, her eyes shooting open as she focused on him. He froze up as well, alarmed by her obvious fear that his question had called to life. It remained quiet for a few minutes, but Star kept her gaze firmly locked on him, thinking over if – or what – she should tell him. She decided she could tell him, but only the essentials. If only because Joker was… Joker.

"George was in danger." She said, and paused, because she wasn't sure on how she should continue from there. Joker raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to continue. Star wet her lips, trying to think of how she should go on from there. "Well, I was an only child until I was twelve, so mother being pregnant was a surprise to pretty much everyone, and mostly me."

_She entered the room where her mother had run off too. The last few months, mother had had the tendency to suddenly run off to a separate room. The young girl didn't know why, but it did have her worried. Father and mother had always been a little bit distant to each other, and now she feared that there was another breach in their relationship.  
>When she walked in further, she could hear her mother's attendant talking in the agitated tone of voice that adults use when discussing secrets.<br>"My Lady, you should inform the Master about the happy news, I'm sure he'll be delighted to hear-"_

_"No, Mara! I will not do anything like that. In fact, I'm getting it removed tomorrow. Have you made the arrangements?"_

_"My Lady, please reconsider this! If word were to get out that you did such a thing, there's no telling what the Master might do. He might-"_

_The maid stopped talking when she spotted the daughter of the house. Big eyes looked up at her mother, wondering what they were talking about. "Mother, what is going on? What are you getting removed?" she asked, not having caught on the what was happening yet. Her mother froze up when she too saw the child and realized she had been caught. The tall, slender woman walked up to the girl, guiding her outside the room by pushing a hand in the small of her back._

_"Hush hush now. Get outside, go to your tutors. You're probably late again. I'm dealing with grown-up problems, and little girls have no business in this." she closed the door behind her daughter, turning the key in the lock, shutting her off from the conversation._

Joker shrugged when she said that. "Is it that big o' a surprise then? Seems like something pretty normal to me, when ye think of the life nobles lead." The tone in which he talked seemed to say that he didn't consider Star to be a noble in the least.

Star nodded once, her eyes directed at the fire. The warmth it spread couldn't heat the chill running down her spine when she continued. "I had expected my father to be happy about it when it he heard the news. Instead he threw such a fit, I feared for my mother's life and that of her baby, George."

_SMACK._

_The sound reverberated through the room. Young Valentine looked as her mother was thrown back by the blow against her cheek, sending her flying backwards in a small dress table. Father had found out about her mother's secret, on the evening the woman had been planning to get rid of it. The dark-haired man's face was red as he screamed at the woman lying there._

_"How dare you do this to me! How dare you, you ungrateful woman?" he lifted the woman again, preparing to strike once more. _

_The young girl grabbed his arm, trying to stop him. "Papa, please! Whatever mother has done, it can't be that bad!" she pleaded._

_The man dropped his wife, instead grabbing the girl by her shoulders. "Valentine…" he shook her back and forth, harder than he intended, before pointing her to the woman. "Do you know what this woman has done, Valentine?" he yelled again. The girl shook her head, her long hair in front of her eyes. The man continued, as if he couldn't believe it himself._

_"She's pregnant! The whore is pregnant!"_

_The young girl's eyes spurred wide open. Her mother was expecting a baby? It was the most wonderful news she had ever heard. She tried to look back at her father, trying to reason with him. "But that's a wonderful thing, papa!"_

_"Shut up!" he shook his daughter again, exasperated. "The thing in her belly is not mine! The treacherous slut has been having affairs behind my back!"_

_The woman, still leaning against the dresser that had so unkindly broken her fall looked at the man and child with a venomous glare. "Who are you to judge me, Charles, when you were the first of us to make such a mistake?" she asked, her eyes directed at the young girl. Valentine felt her heart sink in her chest when she realized what her mother meant._

_"You're not…?" she started, but her voice trailed off. She didn't want to hear this, didn't want to know it. Instead her father continued, breaking her illusions once and for all. _

_"The thing in her belly has no relation with you at all, my girl!"_

"Father was quite angry with my mother." Star said, casting a quick glance at Joker. "I don't know what the reason was, but he tried to attack her." She continued with a small lie. Some things were better left untold, and that was one thing she never wanted George to find out about. "I managed to somehow stop him, but things were quite… uneasy for the next few years. I was sixteen, George four, when we made our escape. Mother had died a year earlier, from diseases one could call mysterious at least. My father had set the mansion on fire in a drunken stupor, and was determined to get George out of the way once and for all. I had already packed some small items in case it would have been necessary, so with those and George I made a run for it that evening. I made a living, the best I could, by stealing and gave George the basic education he needed for the past four years. And… well, here I am now, alive and well."

Joker looked at her, a pained expression on his face. From what he guessed, there were some things she wasn't telling him, but the big picture was possibly as true as it could be. "Star, I'm…"

Star rolled her eyes when he started, and cut him off before he could finish. "Oh please, Joker. What's the past is the past. George and I turned out quite alright, as you can see. And that's in no small part thanks to you." She added, looking him in the eyes again.

Joker blushed a bit, taken aback by that statement. Star let out a yawn, before she leant over to him, pressing a quick kiss on his cheek. "I guess I overreacted a bit earlier. Thanks for saving me, Joker. I really mean that."

Joker nodded, struggling to speak. "Anytime, Star. Anytime." He had never meant anything as much as he meant those words.


	11. Temperature's Running High

|Medical Tent|

"ACHOO!"  
>"ACHAA!"<br>Both of them sneezed at the same time, wrapped in blankets in the warm tent. Dagger snickered in an amused way when he saw his brother and Star sitting on a table, shivering together. Doc on the other hand seemed very displeased, waving around Joker's prosthetic arm in a reprimanding manner.

"Good god, what possessed the two of you to jump in a freezing river like that? You'll be lucky if you don't end up having a pneumonia. And Joker, when will you stop messing up the arm I made for you? It's not easy keeping this functional."  
>Joker tried to wave it off but was interrupted by a sudden sneeze. Star ducked as the man covered his nose with his hand, not wanting to get caught in a mucus bombardment. Doll walked in the tent as well, holding some steaming mugs of tea in her hands. Her red-brown hair hanging in front of one eye didn't hinder the girl in the least. Star gratefully clasped the mug in her hands, letting the warmth seep in her hands.<p>

"Thanks Doll." She said, blowing on the hot liquid to make it a bit drinkable. Joker accepted the mug, but was busy talking to Dagger, bragging about how heroic he had been. Star still felt the bruises on her ass; after the others had found Star and Joker camping in the woods, Doll and George had jumped her, knocking the older girl to the ground in a hug.

Doll nodded, and checked to make sure Star was warm enough. George was already asleep in the tent, it being already after midnight. Joker hissed when Doc attached his arm again, before he moved it experimentally.  
>"Thanks Doc, this should make things easier again!"<br>Doc pushed his glasses back on his nose, scowling at the ringleader. His disapproval at the man's behavior was only too obvious, and Joker avoided his look intentionally. Finally the older man sighed, waving them out of the tent, hoping the two wouldn't be knocked out cold when the morning came.

|The Next Day|

"Achoo! Ugh… me head…" Joker mumbled, trying to get out of bed. He stumbled to the ground, feeling as if the world was spinning around him. His head felt like it was filled with cotton balls, preventing him from thinking straight. He managed to find his pants, putting them on as he grabbed for his shirt.  
>Once he was fully clothed, he stuck his head out of the tent. "Hss…" he hissed when the sun hit his eyes, and realized that he was having a headache. He sneezed again, and started to feel queasy. When somebody clapped him on the back he almost hurled, though he just managed to keep it in. Barely.<p>

"Joker! Awesome work on the whole rescue thing with Star brother! Now she'll be fallin' for ye like… hey, are ye okay?" Dagger asked, seeing how pale the ringleader was.

"I'm feeling great!" Joker lied, only now hearing how hoarse his voice really was.  
>He grabbed for his throat, relieved it didn't hurt much. Still, he knew he was going to be pretty sick. If he was feeling this bad, Star must've been feeling just as miserable, if not worse.<br>"I need to go see Star." He mumbled, trying to make way for the tent she shared with her brother and Doll.

Dagger grabbed the taller man by the shoulders, keeping him still. "Easy now, ol'timer. Ye're in no condition to go running around camp like this. Look at ye, ye buttoned yer shirt all wrong." Dagger said, tapping the buttons once.  
>When Joker didn't really react to that, Dagger added in a matter-of-fact tone :" Not to mention ye're wearing two different shoes. And yer bow tie's undone."<br>Joker looked down, seeing that Dagger was speaking the truth on both accounts. He let out a deep sigh as he tried to block out the spinning sensation in his stomach. Dagger saw how Joker was staggering, and supported the man with one arm.  
>"Ye are going to go back to bed. I'll handle everything today, and I'll make sure ye're under constant supervision. Do not leave yer tent. Sleep, drink and sleep some more. The sooner ye're back on yer feet the better."<br>Before Joker could protest, he was already alone in his tent, lying on his bead and looking up at the ceiling. He really did need to go to see Star… but he was… so … very… tired…

When he woke up again someone was keeping a cool cloth against his scorched forehead. He blinked, feeling as if his eyes were burning, making tears spring up to his eyes. When he tried to speak he couldn't quite get the words out, but the person nursing him made a shushing sound.  
>"Ye should rest, Joker."<br>He recognized Beast's voice, and somehow felt a bit disappointed. Part of him had been wishing that Star was with him in the tent. Beast brought a cup of water to his mouth, letting the liquid seep in his mouth so his throat would be moistened a bit.

"Where's Star?" he finally managed to ask.

Beast's eyes narrowed a bit when he asked that. Why did he have to bring up that name, at a moment when the two of them were finally alone together? She brought the cloth back to the bucket of water, and wrung it out. Finally she answered.  
>"She's in the tent, performing. Oddly enough, she's feeling fine, or so she claims. Seems like ye're the only one feelin' like this."<p>

Joker smiled, relieved that Star was feeling okay. Still, it stung him a little that she hadn't checked up on him yet. Beast brought the cloth back to his forehead, trying to keep herself from asking the one question she knew she shouldn't. And yet, she couldn't help it. She had to know.  
>"Why did ye jump in after 'er like that, Joker? Ye could've died."<br>He laughed, or at least he tried to. His voice sounded hoarse as he imagined he could hear the crowd roar from the circus tent. Things seemed to be going well over there.

"She asked me just the same thing. Beast… I really do like her. Can ye understand that?" he asked, knowing all too well about Beast's feelings. He had always been so gentle turning her down, and yet she had always been hoping for him. He hoped she would give up this time, and perhaps turn to Dagger for once.

"I can't." Beast said, standing up and turning her back to him. She could feel tears burning behind her eyes. "She ain't right for ye, Joker. That girl… she ain't like us at all!"

"I know that." He replied calmly. It was something he had realized even before he had started to like Star. She hadn't been born in a life where she would have had to fight for her life, and that of her brother. Yet when it had been necessary, she had stepped up and done what was necessary. Joker understood how hard it could be to do that which was necessary.  
>"I made up my mind, Beast. Can ye not respect my choice?" he asked her.<p>

Beast didn't reply at first, as if she had to think about it. When she stepped to the exit of his tent, her voice finally drifted towards him.  
>"I respect ye, Joker. But not the stupid things ye got on yer mind right now."<p>

|Meanwhile, Main Tent|

Star stepped out in the spotlights, trying to keep the headache from overruling her train of thought. She smiled broadly, throwing her hands out to the public that was applauding wildly over Wendy and Peter's now finished trapeze act.  
>"Now then, ladies and gentlemen… might I ask your attention for an act that will make your palms sweat and your heart beat to a zooming tune. From far and exotic lands, a man with a contempt for death as he dances away… I present to you… SNAKE!"<p>

She stepped backwards as the music started playing for Snake. When she was backstage again, she sat down on a barrel, before reaching for a cup of water. She dipped the tips of her fingers in it, running them across her face in an attempt to cool down.  
>Dagger let himself drop beside her, giving her a bump with his shoulder. "Ye should be gettin' to bed too." He commented.<p>

Star shook her head, twirling her cane in between her fingers. "And leave the show without a ringleader? We both know that somebody has to do that job, or else the public won't have a clue about what's going on. How was Joker, by the way? He was asleep when I checked on him."

Dagger rolled his shoulders, working away some of the tension. "He was… sick. Well, seems like he's been sleepin' a lot, which should do him a lot of good. Speakin' of sleep, I know someone else who could use some."

Star rolled her eyes, pointing her cane at Dagger's nose. "I'm feeling fine. I'll sleep when the show is over. It's not like it's that long. An hour… or two. I can still manage that much. I've worked while being sick before."

She looked at Dagger again, putting a strand of hair behind her ear. "This is my way of repaying Joker for saving me."

Dagger smiled when she said that. "Ain't that nice? But ya know, Star… he'd be much 'appier if ye pay him a visit. When he's awake, that is."

Star nodded. "I guess… but still… why did that idiot jump in after me like that? He could've gotten himself killed out there. What was he thinking, giving me a scare like that?"  
>Dagger smiled, throwing an arm around Star, pulling her close. When he rubbed his knuckles over her head she protested loudly, trying to get away. "What was that for" she yelled in indignation.<p>

"For being just as big an idiot as Joker is." Dagger answered with a grin, getting up. "The two of ye will be the death o' me. Now, get out there, Snake's almost finished. If ye're gonna be stubborn about performing while being sick, ye might as well go all the way."

Star nodded, adjusting her hat on her head. With a brisk pace she stepped back in the ring, again surrounded by the bright lights and washed over by the cheers of the crowd. The rush of adrenaline through her veins made her feel better. And yet, as she stood there on her own, she felt something missing. The reassuring presence of a certain ginger ringleader guiding her through it all.

The cheer of the crowd that got her pumped up after she had finally gotten rid of her instinctive dislike from attention was hollow now. She could see the smiles on the face of the audience, and though she derived a certain thrill from it, it missed that certain taste, the atmosphere in the air was different.  
>Deep inside, Star decided that she didn't want to ever have another performance without Joker.<p>

|Joker's Tent, After The Show|

"Joker… Father sent another letter." Beast said, holding said letter in her hand. It had been a while since Father had sent one, the last one dating weeks before Star's arrival. Joker's jaw clenched a bit, but he gestured Beast to hand it over. The paper was scribbled in the well-know curly handwriting of a noble, and signed with 'Tom, the piper's son.'.

"The next target is only 'alf an hour away from 'ere." Joker said softly. He knew what would happen next… he would dispatch his brothers and sisters, and they would leave the circus grounds. They would be quiet, moving like cats, and wouldn't return until dawn, before the other troupe members woke up. In the morning, police and concerned citizens would be poking through the town, and sometimes, but very rarely, the troupe members would be questioned.

It would be too late. The kidnapped child would already be on its way to Father, most usually taken by Jumbo. By the time people would think about searching the surrounding towns, Jumbo would have a good half day head start. None of the children were ever found again.  
>"Go then." He commanded softly. Beast swallowed, but didn't answer.<p>

"I said go." He repeated, trying to sound secure of all of this. Being sick didn't quite help in that.

"We don't 'ave to do this, Joker! We can…"

"Hey, Joker, mind if I come in?"Star asked, pushing aside the cloth covering the tent's entrance. She froze up when she nearly bumped into Beast, who gave her a poisonous glare.

"Star!" Joker said, but composed himself when he noticed how enthusiastic he sounded. "Sure, come on in." he added, in what he hoped was a more cool tone of voice.

Star nodded, stepping around Beast, trying not to somehow anger the woman. There was a rather uncomfortable silence for a moment, before Joker broke it.  
>"Beast… ye have a job to do. Don't delay it any further." He admonished her, hoping she would leave on her mission soon.<p>

Beast nodded once, stepping out of the tent in a way that suggested someone was going to pay for whatever had happened in the tent. Star frowned, before she let out a sigh. "I'm sorry if I was interrupting something, Joker. I just thought I should come and see if you're awake."

Joker smiled when she said that, and patted his bed, indicating she could take a seat if she wanted. When she obliged he felt himself relax a little bit. Somehow having her sit there felt like a huge personal victory.  
>"We were done talkin'." He assured her. "How was the show? Dagger said ye were takin' over my job for the evenin'." He said it with a smile, knowing how nervous she usually got before a show started. And once it had started, how she would start to light up like a real star.<p>

"It was okay." Star said, thinking about how lonely she had felt out there on stage. 'Though I think it would've been far better if you had been there, Joker. Somehow you really know how to say it so that everybody in that tent feels the excitement of it all. Are you feeling any better?"she asked with a hint of concern in her voice.

Joker shrugged. His head still pounded like crazy, and his fever was still up, but at least he was thinking straight again. Given the situation that was about the best he could hope for at the moment. "I'm doin' fine, really. Another night of rest an' I'll be on me feet again."

Star smiled at him, relieved to hear that. Joker felt his heart skip a beat for a second. Her smile was such a rare thing, almost like a jewel hidden away. When she showed it, he felt like he could go on and conquer the world if it would make her smile again.  
>"Star… how are ye feelin'? Dagger said ye were as hyper as ever." Joker asked, wanting to know if it was true. Star seemed to be fine enough, even though she didn't seem to be in the conversation for the full one hundred percent.<p>

"Me? Ah, I'm a bit feverish, but…" she was cut off by Joker's hand on her forehead.

"A bit? Ye're having a pretty bad fever! How are ye still standin' up?" he asked, furious that she would be running around like that, without having the common sense to lie in her bed and rest for a few goddamn hours!

"I'm feeling fine, really!" she protested. "I… wanted to repay you for saving me yesterday, and I thought pitching in while you were sick was a great way to-"

"-To get me angry?" Joker interrupted. "Good 'eavens, Star! What if ye were to faint then, eh? 'Ow is that repayin' me? Ye would be better off lying in bed an' having some rest!"

"Well, I can't help it if you were the one jumping in behind me! If you had just stayed where you were, than you wouldn't have been sick and I wouldn't have to –"

"Not been sick?" Joker asked, and suddenly pulled Star to his chest. Star blinked, not believing what was happening at the moment. "I would've been worried sick if I 'adn't jumped! Ye stupid girl…"

The last part was said in an almost affectionate way, so much that Star was even further confused. Joker's heart was beating loudly against her ear. His arms enclosed her, and suddenly she felt so very safe in that dark tent.  
>"I did what I did, and ye don't have to repay anything for that." He said, resting his chin on top of her head. "My actions are me own choice. Ye don't 'ave any say in it if I want to jump of a hundred bridges after ye."<p>

Star sighed, lifting her head so she could look in Joker's green eyes. She shook her head, not believing what the man was saying. "Joker… you're silly when you're sick, you know that?"  
>She pressed her lips against his cheek, still very aware of his arms around her. The situation made her heart jump up in excitement.<p>

'If you're going on saying that kind of thing… you might make me fall for you.' She thought, before blushing.  
>She, fall for Joker? The thought was… not that absurd. Joker… always kind, sweet, funny and yet infuriating Joker. The idea took a hold of her heart and head, and suddenly she could see herself pressing a kiss on his lips, instead of on his cheek. Her heart beat faster, and the idea seemed to wedge itself deep in her mind.<p>

Fall for Joker… or had she fallen a long time ago for this crazy ringleader?

"I have to be going now…" she said, pulling back from the stare between them. Before she had even gotten away from the bed, Joker's warm hand closed around her wrist.  
>"Can ye stay? For a little longer?" he asked her sincerely. Joker didn't believe what he was doing. Did he want to make it that obvious that he wanted her? Star blinked and paused her movements. She seemed to think it over for a second, before she gave him her reply.<p>

"Maybe for a little while then."

|Moon's Note : you guys have no idea how tempted I was not to write that last sentence XD Be grateful I didn't make this in a huuuuuuge cliffhanger.|


	12. Love is?

|Outside,Morning|

Dagger watched as he could see Star and Joker approaching. People stared at them when they walked by, before they started whispering behind their hands, pointing at the two. It wasn't long before Dagger understood why, as the two were talking so loudly that he could hear them from a while away.

"… still doesn't mean you had to go at it all night!" Star said, flipping her hair over her shoulder.  
>"Ye had fun doing it too! Ye even begged me at one point." Joker replied, throwing her a smile.<br>"Begged you? Oh please, I did not. I was merely giving you a nudge.'  
>"Well, ye could "ave screamed a lil' less. No need to be that loud about it."<br>"That's your own fault. You shouldn't have been so rough with me. I swear I'll have bruises."  
>"As if ye bruise that easily. And seems like it cured ye. Maybe we should do it more, eh?"<p>

Star replied by pulling Joker's hat down over his eyes, looking mildly angry with him but amused nonetheless. "Maybe. If you're good." She said.

Giving Dagger a wave she walked off, cheeks red with either a mild fever or excitement. Dagger watched her walk away, mouth opened in a flabbergasted expression. He did not believe his ears for a second. Had he just heard what he thought he had heard? Star had spent the night in Joker's tent, but he hadn't expected the two of them to go that far immediately.  
>"J-J-Joker, did ye and Star? Did I hear correctly? Ye and Star actually? I can't believe it!"<p>

Joker looked at his brother in a way that suggested the man wasn't making any sense at all.  
>"Dagger, could ye talk in, like, a normal way? What ye blabberin' about?" Joker asked.<p>

Dagger grabbed him by the sides of his vest, shaking the ringleader back and forth as he sported a blush on his cheeks as tears sprung to his eyes.  
>"Congratulations, brother! I had no idea ye was about to confess to Star! To think that she said yes! Ye even spent the night together already. Ye really are one lucky son of a bitch, aren't ye? Congrats, congrats, congrats!"<p>

Joker stopped Dagger from talking by placing his hands to the sides of the man's head, pushing him back like that a little. Dagger kept spouting out his heartfelt happiness for Joker's newfound luck, and was vowing that he would look out for any children that Joker might have conceived the previous evening.

"Dagger, me an' Star didn't do anythin' last night. Well, we did end up havin' a pillow fight or two, but I didn't lay a hand on the girl."

Dagger seemed to crumble to ashes as he heard that. "A … pillow fight?" he asked.

"Yeah."

Dagger grabbed Joker by the vest again, this time shaking him back and forth in a more furious manner. He seemed to be gravely disappointed.  
>"But last night was the PERFECT moment for ye to confess! Both of ye were still worn out from yer adventure together, and Star came to yer tent because she was worried about ye."<p>

"Ye wanted me to confess while both of us were collapsin' from a fever then?" Joker asked, blinking in surprise.

"Ye don't get a thing about romance, brother." Dagger mumbled, letting go of the older man, letting himself drop on a barrel standing there. He rested his head on his hands, looking at the ringleader in a dejected manner. "Ye and Star could've been halfway to church an' about to get married of ye had played yer cards right."

Joker scratched the back of his head, laughing with a blush on his cheeks. The notion of getting married was almost just as embarrassing as confessing his love to Star.  
>"Shall I push ye and Beast in the river then? Ye can test for yerself just how well a proposal goes when ye're both nearly fainting with a fever."<p>

Dagger frowned, giving Joker a glare. "I'll be fine getting Big Sis to love me, thank you. I was merely saying that ye an' Star need some serious help getting together. The both of ye are so oblivious of one another that it's a miracle ye even spend some time together instead of fretting if the other person likes ye back. Star was worried about ye last night, and I'm sure she cares about ye, but she's too thickheaded to realize that she likes ye."

"Hah?" Joker said.

"Now ye aren't that stupid, but still ye're scared of telling her that ye like her, even though it's obvious to everybody else in the circus that the two of ye are emittin' hearts each time ye see one another. What am I –"

"Dagger, stop talkin'. Ye were sayin' that Star likes me?" Joker asked, not really believing what Dagger was saying.

Dagger threw the ginger an annoyed glance. "Of course that's what I'm sayin'. Thing is, she's too oblivious to realize she does. Do ye have any idea how irritating it is watchin' the two of ye?"

"Star likes me?" Joker asked again, just to make sure.

Dagger gave him a punch in the shoulder, looking annoyed. "SHE LIKES YE!" he yelled.

Joker let himself drop against a barrel, holding a hand against his forehead as he did so. "Star likes me." He mumbled. Then he got up, grabbing Dagger in a hug.

"She likes me!" he said again, and this time Dagger was the one getting shaken back and forth.

"That what I've been saying the entire time! I take it back, yer even worse than Star."

Joker let go of Dagger, suddenly realizing something.  
>"I should 'ave confessed last night." He mumbled with a sudden terror in his voice. He had missed one of the most perfect chances he could have ever been given. The timing and setting had been perfect. When he had pulled her in that embrace, he ought to have had pressed a kiss on her rosy lips and told her that he wanted her to stay. Stay forever with him, so he wouldn't ever have to worry about her. That's what he should've done.<p>

Dagger patted him on the shoulder, making sympathizing sounds. "Ye should 'ave. But there'll always be another chance."

|Somewhere Else|

Meanwhile, Star was pondering on her newly found feelings for Joker. Was she really serious about him? She had been in love before, but that had been with the boy that she had been supposed to marry when she had still been a noble. It had been perhaps a more dutiful kind of love, instead of real, heart-thumping love. Still, how was she supposed to know? There hadn't been any time for a man in her life the past years. It was as if being in the circus had given her heart the time to heal, and now it was pumping with a renewed vitality.

"Star, what are you doing… asks Marx." Snake's voice came from behind her.  
>Star looked back into his eyes, and sent a the man a smile.<p>

"Hello, Snake." She thought about what she should tell him. "Well, I was wondering what love is, actually." She said truthfully.

Snake looked at her in surprise. He hadn't been expecting an answer like that. And though he would have liked to answer that question, when he thought about it, he realized he didn't really have a clue about it either. His snakes were of the opinion that love was simply finding someone you wanted to procreate with, but when he told Star, she seemed doubtful about it.  
>"I don't know…that seems like it's very simple. I don't think it can be that simple." She mumbled, placing her elbows on her knees.<p>

Snake nodded, agreeing with her. Goethe told him that if that was how Snake wanted it, he should sort it out himself. After all, Snake was a human, and humans and snakes thought about these kinds of things in a different way. Finally he had an idea.  
>"We should go and ask Peter and Wendy." He said, not adding his usual 'says this snake' after it. It was after all an original idea of his, and not that of one of the snakes.<p>

"Peter and Wendy?" Star asked, looking up in surprise.

"Because they are always together, and they probably love each other too… says Goethe." Snake said, his reptile friends explaining what he couldn't.  
>Star shrugged, getting up as she thought about it. "I guess you might be on to something here." She said, gesturing Snake to come with her.<p>

"Huh? What love is?" Peter asked surprised. He and Wendy had been lying in a stack of hay, trying to get a nap while they didn't practice. Tonight there would be another show, and they needed their rest. Wendy looked too, her face frowning as she thought about it.  
>"I guess love is…" she started.<p>

"… findin' someone who is in the same situation as ye…" Peter continued.  
>"… an' trustin' them with yer life." Wendy ended.<p>

Star and Snake folded their arms over one another, trying to figure out if this was truly what love was. It didn't quite match the things she associated with Joker though, and she let out a sigh.  
>"Not really what I was looking for, but thanks. At least it's better than the previous answer."<p>

"I can't help it… says Emily." Snake replied. Star had started an interesting quest, and he was curious if they would be able to find an answer that fitted her needs.

"Well, if ye don't like our answer, why don't ye go askin' Jumbo? A big lob of a lad should 'ave a big 'eart as well." Peter suggested, pulling his hat over his eyes.

Snake looked at Star, who shrugged and walked off in search of Jumbo.

"Love, huh?" the big man asked, scratching his chin as he pondered the question. He looked down at Star and her companion, and placed the torch he had been using to train in the sand. Sitting down on a crate, he scratched his hand.

"Love would be… havin' a warm home, and kids running around. Food on the table, an' a person to share yer thoughts with."  
>Star thought it sounded about right, but then again, she couldn't imagine Joker ever settling down to start a family in a small home and getting a normal job as a worker. His arm would get in the way, for one, and of course he was far too flamboyant for a life that was as common as that. And she didn't feel like just staying at home, minding the children and not be able to go out at all. She had had her taste of adventure, and now she wanted more.<p>

"Thanks Jumbo, but I don't think that's it either. For me, at least."  
>Jumbo shrugged, picking up his torch again. Before they left, he suggested she should go and ask Doll. Perhaps the girl would be of more help.<p>

"Heh, ye're askin' me what love is, Star?" Doll said, getting her costume ready for the show. Her hair was swept away from her forehead, and her scar around her left eye was visible now. Star didn't mind, to her Doll was still a beautiful girl.

Snake stood behind Star, not watching as Doll changed. His back was turned to the two, and he listened as Doll explained. The girl put a finger to her cheek as she mused about it.  
>"Well, I s'pose that love is what I feel for ye, an' George, an' Snake, an' Joker, an' all of the others. I guess love is like bein' together like we are, in a big group where we all love each other, not 'cuz we 'ave to, but 'cuz we want to take care of each other. It's like bein' friends, but bein' family even more. I guess that's what love is to me; havin' friends that'll care for me like I do for them."<p>

Snake nodded as this statement kind of reflected what he felt for the others. Friends, but even more than that a sheltering hand, like a family that looked out for all of its members, no matter who or what they were.  
>Star on the other hand still wasn't quite convinced. Everything everyone had said sounded about right, but instead of it being just what she needed, it felt like there was still a piece missing. Everybody had added something to her feelings, but not enough to be quite sure what she was still missing.<br>"Thanks Doll. You've been a great help." Star told the girl, before she left the tent. Snake bid her goodbye, together with his snakes.

She remained behind, leaning against a pole as she thought it over. She could try asking Beast, but she dismissed the thought. Beast would probably skin her alive if she even had an inkling Star liked Joker. The woman was hostile enough, without even knowing something like that.  
>Suddenly somebody put his hands over her eyes. "Guess who?"<p>

"Dagger, let go of me!" Star said, trying to wave away the man's hands.

"How'd ye know 'twas me?" he asked, pouting.

"You're the only one who always sneaks up on me like that." Star replied, looking at him from the side. Before she had the chance to ask him what he thought about love, he started talking.

"I hear ye've been goin' around camp, asking what love is. Ye wanna know what I think about it?"

Star shrugged and nodded at the same time. Of course she wanted to know what love was to Dagger. The man smiled, adjusting his hat before he started talking. He looked at Star from the side as well.  
>"I guess that love for me is wantin' to protect the person I love. Even if, for example, she were to fall off a bridge, I'd be jumpin' in right behind her. 'cause if she died, I don't think I'd be able to keep on livin'."<p>

Star opened her mouth in surprise, but Dagger stopped her by raising his hand.  
>"My live would be gladly given before hers, because I'd think the world would end of she wasn't around anymore. My world would end. To be prepared to give up everythin' for that other person, an' have my heart skip ten thousand beats if her hand brushes mine. To do whatever it takes to win her heart, even if she ends up scoldin' me. That's what I think love is."<p>

Star touched her chest, and realized that had been the missing piece. She was indeed prepared to give up everything for Joker. Her title? That could go to hell, if it ever stopped her from loving him. Being a thief? She had given that up a long time ago when she joined the circus. Her life? It was his, if he wanted it. Dagger gave her a pat on the head, before he pointed to their right. Star's bright eyes followed his finger, and landed on Joker.  
>He was standing there, looking quite embarrassed with a single, bright yellow flower in his hands. It matched the color of the bow of his costume, and he twirled it in between his fingers nervously. When her eyes met his, he fumbled it, barely managing to catch it before it dropped to the ground.<p>

Looking beside her, Dagger had left. She didn't wonder where he had gone off too, at the moment the only thing that mattered to her was where Joker was. He took a hesitating step towards her, and then another. Star did the same, her hands clasped behind her back rather nervously.  
>She felt like she had when she had been asked to dance for the first time. That nervous fluttering of her heart, the blood rushing to her cheeks. It was almost a drunk feeling, and her legs were shaky. At last she and Joker were face to face.<p>

"Star, I –"  
>"Joker, I – "<p>

The both of them stopped talking, wanting the other person to go first. After a few seconds of silence, a silence so tense it could pop open in a firework at any second, Joker held out the yellow flower.  
>"Gettin' a rose was a little hard, but I knew ye like yellow, so I guess this one would do."<p>

Star touched the flower, and Joker took her as she touched his. His green eyes seemed to quiver under her gaze. Could he hear her heart thumping? He had to, it was going so fast and loud, there was no way he didn't.  
>"Star, I wanted to tell ye… I … like ye."<br>The moment the words left his lips, it was as if something inside him relaxed, and the next words just streamed out.  
>"I liked you from the moment I saw ye, I just didn't realize it then. And after I realized it, I had trouble eatin' or sleepin' because I was fussin' about if I would ever be able to tell ye, because ye're so amazin' and perfect, I couldn't believe that somebody like ye would ever be able to like me. But I can't hold silent any longer, I need ye to know. Star… do ye like me?"<p>

She nodded. She felt as if her tongue was tied in a knot, and yet she managed to speak.  
>"I like you too Joker. I like how silly you can be, and how you can get flustered at the littlest things. I guess I liked you too for a long time now, and I only just realized yesterday. I can't believe I was so stupid not to notice earlier. I… I like you!"<br>She wanted to hide her face after she had said that, feeling even more awkward than the first time she had gone on stage.  
>Joker's fingers stopped her, cupping her chin so she was forced to look in his eyes. He smiled at her, and seemed to be at peace deep inside. His mouth moved towards hers, and every inch it neared her heart started to beat faster and faster.<br>He kissed her, such a soft, long kiss, she had to grab his arms to convince herself it was real. He had his hands around her waist, holding her closer and closer every second. Slowly she felt own self somehow melt into him, and for that one second… everything was just perfect.


	13. Complications

|Circus Tent, Backstage|

"Today's show 's been goin' well, no?" Dagger commented to Snake, who was watching the main stage with him. Dagger's hand kept the heavy, red velvet curtain out of their way as they watched Joker and Star make their way through the tent. It was as if the both of them had been hit by a bolt of energy, and now their every gesture was somehow more supple. The two of them had found some sort of mental balance, enough to make them jump that little bit higher, or bend that little bit further. It was an amazing sight to see.

Behind them the crack of a whip could be heard. Dagger and Snake froze up, straightening their backs as they turned to the person who had caused the sound. Dark, chocolate brown eyes met theirs, and Beast appeared to be holding in a vicious snarl. Her eyebrows bundled up together in a frown, and she moved forward to also take a look at the stage.  
>Dagger took her hand as she did so, stopping her from pulling away the curtains. She would be up next, and she needed to calm down, if only a little. After all, working with a tiger was not easy, and if she didn't feel completely calm then she would be unable to control Betty. A loose tiger could kill several people before they would be able to subdue the animal.<p>

"Let go o' me, Dagger!" she snarled, attempting to pull away her arm. Dagger held on, in a rare act of defiance against the woman he loved with all his heart. He didn't want her to hurt herself, and he had to protect her against herself. Her, and Joker and Star.

"Sis! Ye're lookin' lovely as always." He started off, with the forced smile on his face.

Beast grimaced, her face seemingly aggravated and at the same time disgusted.

"If I want to look at the stage, I'll look at the stage." She hissed, her hand moving towards her whip. Snake shook his head, pointing behind him. Joker had announced Beast, and she was supposed to go out now, to give a performance like she always did.

Dagger bit his cheek as he watched Beast's face turn into a seemingly calm state. Deep inside her feelings were in a turmoil, and different 'what if's' formed in her mind as she tried to keep from screaming. Her face was never good at hiding her feelings, never had been. Beast had been so quick to cry when she was little, so easy to worry about everything. As she had grown older, she had learn to keep any tears hidden from the outside world, instead spilling them in her pillow. For Joker, she had to be strong, and keep the strength that they would need. Even if Joker didn't confide in her about his worries…

… as if he'd ever confide his worries in Star! That girl didn't know the first thing about the sacrifices they made even now! Joker would never be able to tell her, because they all knew what her reaction would be. She would demand they stop doing it at once, and she would probably storm off to rescue any child she could. She wouldn't be able to see the higher good of it all. She wouldn't be able to understand why Joker wanted to protect his little sisters and brothers still left in the workhouse. Baron Kelvin kept them safe, but there was a price that had to be paid for that safety.

The price hadn't always been needed though.

There had been a time when the Baron hadn't thought it was necessary to kidnap children, a time when he been kind and hadn't needed anything of the sorts. She didn't really know what happened to them, nor had she any desire to know it all. Was it worse than the things she was imagining? The times she had returned to Father's manor had been scarce, and the times she had actually seen any of the children even scarcer. And yet she needed to help to recall the empty look in their eyes.

She shuddered, a sudden panic running across her shoulders and down her spine. How much longer would they be able to keep it up? How much longer until they aroused too much suspicion, until someone was able to put the pieces together and figure out that Noah's Ark Circus was always, always around every time a child had been taken away from its home? There had been no traces up until now, save for the trail of death they had left. The children were taken and their parents and anybody else in the house killed for good measure. But sometimes a parent hadn't been at home, out for business or the like. People that weren't at home weren't killed, and had the opportunity to search for their missing children. To conduct a search for revenge.  
>Beast's eyes met Joker's for the flash of a second as she stepped on stage. If they were found out, there would be no mercy. Joker would rather die than to betray Father. And she would rather die before she would betray Joker. She would try again to persuade him. Perhaps it would be easier to do so now that he had fallen for a noblewoman. She wouldn't mind using that love to stop him from going down this path. She needed to save him. She wouldn't be able to go on in a world without Joker.<p>

|Backstage|

"Ye were amazing out there!" Joker said, putting his arms around Star's waist. He pulled her around, loving the way her eyes were sparkling at the moment. She put her arms on his shoulders, her long hair waving behind her in the twirl.

"I was amazing? You should have seen yourself! I've never seen you put on a show like that before! And that speech was just inspired!"

Snake looked away in an embarrassed manner when he saw the two of them act so lovey-dovey. It was the first time he had ever seen Joker put his face so close to another person. They were close enough to feel one another's breath on their faces. He closed his eyes when their lips brushed, and just barely managed to avoid seeing a kiss. Dagger on the other hand didn't seem to mind at all, as he just kept smiling and talking all the while, though he did cast a worried look behind him every now and then. He wanted to keep an eye on Beast, not that she needed it. Still, it helped to put his mind at ease, if nothing else.

Star didn't hear a word Dagger was saying. Her entire focus now was Joker, as she still couldn't believe the charismatic ring leader liked her. He rubbed his cheek alongside hers, a slight stubble scratching her as he did so. She didn't mind, as she slowly breathed in his scent. He smelled slightly sweaty, mixed with his cologne. It was a good, safe scent. She hadn't realized until recently just how attached she was to it. Now she couldn't miss it for the world. These past few days had been magic, just holding his hand had been enough to motivate her even further to do her best. She had been bursting with energy these past few days, and had gripped every chance to learn the best she could. She had even started on walking the tightrope again, under strict supervision of Doll. Just walking it wasn't good enough after all, one had to be able to perform a scale of stunts on it as well. And the girl was a very strict supervisor, not leaving one bit of Star's performance to chance.  
>Joker ran his hand past a bruise on her arm she had gotten when falling of the tight rope. His face didn't have an overly worried expression on it, but more a face that showed pride in her efforts. His prosthetic rested against her neck, as his green eyes pierced deeply into hers. Did he feel it too, the resounding beats of her heart as he was so close to her?<p>

"Joker, there's someone 'ere to see Star!" Peter's voice called out, leading someone inside the tent. Joker let go of Star, looking backwards to see who it could be. He didn't see Star's eyes widening, but he could feel how her body stiffened at the sight of the aged woman.

"Grandmother…" she mumbled.

The old woman clutched her handbag a little tighter, before walking in. Her nose crinkled as she saw how messy the place was, as she walked forwards to Star. The woman had eyes that were the same dark grey as steel, and gave of the look that she had the same unbending character as well. As she walked closer, her only focus was on the young woman in Joker's arms.

"Valentine. It's good to see you are well, child." She said. The woman's voice had the gravity of someone who had been through a lot of pain in her life, and didn't expect things to change soon. Joker's grasp on Star's waist tightened as he imagined he could feel her knees buckle slightly. Star tightened her grip on his arm, looking slightly distressed as she did so.

"Grandmother, I…" she started, but her voice trailed off quickly. It was too sudden, too much for her to bear. She had not expected to see her grandmother again in her whole life. And yet here she was.

The woman focused on Joker now, her pupils slightly narrowing when she saw how he was holding Star. "Young man, I trust you have someplace where I can converse with my granddaughter in private? There are delicate matters to discuss that one should keep inside one's family."

Joker nodded, scraping his throat slightly. "Ye can use me tent, if that would please ye." He said, suddenly very aware of his rude his own speech was compared to that of the older woman. She nodded, stepping aside and pointing him to lead the way.

"It shall have to do, I assume. Go on then, boy. I have things to discuss with Valentine."

|Joker's Tent|

Star sat down on the bed, leaving the chair to her grandmother. Augustine sat down, casting a long and scrutinizing look on her, her eyes gliding up and down her body as she seemed to be chewing the inside of her cheek.

"Sit properly, girl!" she eventually commanded.

Star obeyed promptly, crossing her ankles properly and sitting up straight, instead of the slightly slouched way she had become accustomed to in her time in the circus. She looked the woman straight in the eyes, her jaw clenching as she felt her heart hammering in her chest. It remained silent again for a while, while the woman was observing her quietly. Finally she spoke again.

"I had been rehearsing several questions before I came to see you, to make sure you are indeed who my informer said you are. But now that I see you from so close, there is no mistaking possible. You have your father's trademark glare, and the attitude only a noble can possible attain. You are indeed your father's daughter."  
>Star's look hardened. Did Augustine know that she and Star had no blood relationship at all? George's mother had been her daughter, but Star had no true kinship to either of them. The remark she had just given about her being like her father seemed to reinforce this thought. The woman saw how Star seemed to prepare an answer, but gave her no chance to do so.<br>"How is George? After the fire I would have thought that you would have come straight to me with your brother."

"His health has improved, in part thanks to the doctor here. After the… incident, his health was far too weak to allow any travel, not to mention we lacked in funds quite a bit. We ended up being stranded in the city of Bath." Star remained quiet on just how they had managed to survive for all those years without anyone to take care of them. It was none of Augustine's concern, and anything she might tell the woman now might cause irreparable damage to George's reputation in her eyes. No matter what Augustine might think about her, George was still her family. She had to protect him at all costs.  
>The gray-haired woman nodded once. A smile never touched her face, and Star could detect no warmth in the woman at all, only a stubborn will to do what she deemed to be right. Would the woman now leave and let her be in peace together with George and her new-found family?<p>

"You and George are to report to my manor in this town tomorrow, at elevensies. I will have no refusal. Make sure to dress in a more suitable attire, we have things to discuss as adults. I do not need to remind you that you are responsible for your brother, but you might need reminding that I, as your oldest living relative, have every responsibility for the two of you. I also expect you to leave your… friends here. If they must they may come and fetch you in the afternoon, at exactly four thirty. I would like to settle everything today, but I have other pressing matters to attend to, not to mention that you might need to have some time to get everything in order as well."  
>Augustine got up, smoothing non-existing crinkles out of her dress as she did so. Star rose as well, though she was unsure how she should react to the woman's behavior. It had been so long since she was expected to be civil at this level.<p>

Augustine paused at the tent's exit, Star nearly bumping into her. "It is good to see you alive and well child. I can not guess what sacrifices you must have made in this time, but do keep in mind that your return to your home world will require even more sacrifices."

She opened the tent flap. Star could see Joker and Dagger walking around, before Joker walked towards Beast, who needed his assistance. Star thought she could guess what sacrifices her grandmother was talking about. She needed none of it. The older woman said nothing more, but walked off, towards a coach that was parked just outside the circus grounds. A shiver ran down her spine as she thought about it, before clenching her fists in a defying way. She would not give up her way of life now.

|Beast's Tent|

"What did ye want to talk about, Beast?" Joker asked, adjusting his hat in the mirror. Beast sat down on the bed, giving off the air of a person who was tired of going over the matter again, but who was stubborn enough not to give it up either.

"About yer relationship with Star-"

"We've been over this one before, 'aven't we? I won't give 'er up, Beast."

"That's not wot I want to talk about! I want to talk about Father."

Joker didn't say anything, though his eyes narrowed when he heard Beast say that.

Beast continued. "'Ow do ye think he'll react when 'e finds out ye're foolin' around with a noble girl, eh?"

Joker looked at her in the mirror, their eyes meeting in the glass. "Star isn't a child. Father won't 'ave any interest in 'er."

"What if the two of ye end up havin' a child together?"

Joker froze up, his fingers suddenly balled into fists. "Wot about it? The child won't be a noble one. Father won't 'ave any interest in it."

"It's mother will be. Are ye tellin' me that Father won't be least bit intrigued in somethin' as rare as that child? More importantly… if Father tells ye to hand the child over, will ye obey him?"

Joker said nothing, looking in the mirror. He hadn't even considered the possibility that he and Star might even have children. Would he be able to hand over the child of the woman he loved to Father, knowing full well what would happen to it? Would he be able to see his own child be used for base entertainment, as he watched other children be used when he was at his Father's home?  
>"That's somethin' that's years away from now, even if it will ever happen." He answered at long last.<p>

Would he be able to do something like that for all of his brothers and sisters at the work house?

"And it's still somethin' that ye should take into consideration. Star ain't a girl who will be able to give up her own kid like that. 'Ow do ye think she'll react? I don't think ye'll find her smilin' so much when ye do somethin' like that." Beast told him, slightly raising her voice. Joker HAD to stop doing what he did, it was the only way to save him. They would all die, if kept on this path. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, but certainly soon.

Would he be able to defy his Father?

"Father wouldn't ask that!" Joker lashed out, still believing in the man that had saved them. What was the suffering of the few, when so many more were saved? The man that called him son wouldn't ask him to give up his child like that. A child he had with Star would be cherished by Baron Kelvin, as a grandchild, or another son or daughter.

But what if he did?

Joker could read the question in Beast's eyes, and felt it reflected in his own self. What if Father did ask it? Would he be able to comply? He shook his head, clearing the thoughts away. Father wouldn't. He just wouldn't. He raised a finger towards Beast, making sure she was listening to him.  
>"Ye aren't to speak about this to Star. She doesn't need to know. Promise me."<p>

Beast said nothing.

"Promise me, Beast!"

A tear slid down her cheek, and yet the dark-haired woman managed a smile. "I will, if only because now I know that even for her ye won't betray Father."

Joker said nothing, stepping out of the tent in a fury. He did not like the talk he had just had one bit. It had raised doubts and fears deep inside him, in a way that he did not like one bit. When his eyes landed on Star, he bit the inside of his cheek.

What would he do, when the time would come?


	14. Family Matters

| The Circus |

Augustine had sent a coach to pick up her grandchildren, along with a driver that was the utmost example of refinement. Star felt uncomfortable enough, forced to wear a long woolen dress that ran down near her ankles, chafing her all over. George seemed to be equally uncomfortable, even if his outfit was indeed more befitting of a lord. The circus had a large collection of clothes for dressing up, and it had come in handy. Star pulled at her collar with one finger, casting a worried look behind her. Joker seemed to be in a pensive mood, and he hadn't wanted to talk to her about what was troubling him. Instead he had pressed a kiss on her forehead, telling her not to worry. She had had to bite the inside of her cheek just then, to not snap at him that his worries were now hers as well.

Inside the coach George looked about the landscape in an interested manner, leaving Star alone with her thoughts. Augustine would probably want the two of them to remain with her. It would be the smarter choice too, providing the two orphans with shelter, food and education. Something with which the circus had also been providing them. What the circus could not provide them with however was a way to claim Star and George's rightful place in society. As far as people knew George was her brother and therefore also her father's heir. He would inherit lands, stocks and other valuables. George would become one of the prominents in the high society, well-educated and having a say in how the country ought to be run. If he worked hard he might be invited at the palace, to speak with the Queen, to offer Her his services as well. He might open several ventures in foreign countries and have his name known all over the world.

And as for her? If they went back to their old life, she would have to say goodbye to everyone; Joker, Doll, Dagger and everybody else. She wouldn't have to get up early in the morning anymore, taking baths in freezing water before getting out on stage or on the road, risking an accident every day. Instead she would sleep in every day, and have no worry at all in her life. Food wouldn't be a problem. She wouldn't even have to dress herself anymore. Servants would do everything short of chewing her food for her. If she was lucky, she would be married, but that was a long shot. She was already approaching the age of twenty, and very few men would be prepared to marry her. A fate as a spinster would be more likely, unless Augustine was prepared to pay a ridiculous dowry. Star didn't doubt for a second that the old woman would indeed be prepared to pay up.

And in return for that cozy life, where the only thing expected of her would be to look pretty and pop out heirs, she would be required to give up Joker. And the only reason for that would be that he was beneath her station. He would be beneath her, and the only way she would be able to see him would be as a paramour, who traveled the country. She would be lucky if she saw him for three evenings every two years. And something like that was beneath the both of them. Joker would fight for her, and she for him.  
>She clenched her teeth together, making her look far more grim than any amount of make-up would ever have achieved. If Augustine had seen her, the woman would again have remarked that she had every bit the demeanor of her father. Star wondered not for the first time who her mother had been, and who had been George's father.<p>

The ride had progressed more rapidly than expected, as they soon pulled up at the manor. As the coach stopped, the doors were pulled open and a hand was trust towards her, to help her out of the carriage. Star accepted, and soon she and George were guided inside. Inside servants rushed to their sides, ready to take on coats, gloves and other items that she might be wanting to discard during her visit. When they discovered that neither Star nor George had such items, they retreated with a sullen look. George clung to her side, reaching for her hand. She squeezed it and looked in his eyes for a second. He was worried, and alarmed at all of this. She wasn't that surprised. He had been so young when they had fled their home, it wasn't a wonder he remembered so few. For a young Lord, he was nowhere near educated enough.  
>Cold sweat started to trickle down her back as the thought occurred to her. She had been teaching George a few things, like calculus and writing, but nothing of how to manage a household. Why should she have, when she never even had considered the option of the two of them ever having the chance of returning to their stations? For a second she had to choke away the fear that she had failed him, but after a few swallows that fear had passed. As they walked to the hallways, George didn't let go of her hand for a second. He was a smart boy, and he knew how to survive. She had made sure of that, even if his condition had at times been impeding her in her movements of taking care of them both. He knew more than all the young little lordlings combined in the country, she was sure of that. Practical knowledge was knowledge too, after all.<p>

They were led to a dining room, where the light came in through the big windows on the side of the garden. Augustine was waiting for them, sipping tea with her pink held high, as a proper lady. Star could feel her heart beating rapidly in anticipation. This was it, after all. They were going to have a talk here that would have an impact on the rest of her life. A well-to do lady or spinster, never having to worry about anything in her life? Or rather a traveling performer, living a life for which she never had been born? The woman in front of her would be partly deciding about that. The loss of control was staggering for Star. She had been responsible for her own life for all these years, and now it was gone. She could do nothing but hold on and hope for the best.  
>Augustine rose up, after gently placing her cup on the table. She was wearing a dress in the latest fashion, in a dark grey that matched her unyielding eyes. Unyielding, but fair, at least that was what Star hoped. She and George walked towards her, through the long dining room. The thing had no right to be so long when her legs felt like rubber, she though annoyed.<p>

"So this is young George." Augustine said, looked at the young boy with a smile. She held out a hand, but instead of kissing it, George hid behind his sister, peeking out at the elderly lady who he only vaguely remembered. One of the shadows of an early childhood that had nothing to do with his current life. Augustine sighed, straightening herself a bit and casting Star a reproachful look that suggested this little event was completely her doing. Star straightened too, and noticed for the first time she was taller than the old lady. Then she looked down at George, communicating in a way that only siblings can. George sighed, coming out of his hiding place.

"It is nice to meet you, grandmother. How do you fare on this day?" his voice sounded pitched as if it got stuck halfway his throat, and he failed to put in the proper sentiment. His monotonous way of saying it sounded like an actor who had only had a few minutes to read a script, and then was cast out to perform. Yet Augustine smiled when she heard it. Clearly George had redeemed himself in her eyes.

"I fare quite well, young man. I do thank you for asking." Her eyes shot in Star's general direction, before she motioned to the table. "Would the two of you care for some tea? We're having Darjeeling today, and I must say it's simply marvelous. Not to mention the scones that have been freshly baked, just for the two of you."

The two siblings sat down, on opposite sides from each other, the matron in the middle at the head of the table. Servants poured them tea, and added lemon, sugar and cream without any prior order given. When they left, Star gingerly took the cup, having a small sip. It had been ages since she had had proper tea. Real tea. The kind that costs tons of money, because you only buy it in tiny, tiny packages because it's so much more prestigious. George in the meanwhile took a scone, in the same way as his sister had touched her tea. Slowly, so he wouldn't start something off that couldn't be undone.  
>After a few minutes of silences Augustine broke the silence. Star and George immediately looked at her.<p>

"So…" she paused, looking at the both of them. Her eyes lingered longer on George. Longer than Star liked.  
>"I found the two of you. Finally. It has taken me quite a while to find the two of you. After that tragic accident where your home burned down, I tried everything to track the two of you down. There weren't any bodies found that matched your description, so of course I held hope. I never once wavered. But to think that you would turn up in a circus of all places. How long?"<p>

"How long what?" Star asked, keeping her eyes fixed on her tea.

"How long have the two of you been working there?"

"First of all, I work there. George practices a bit, but mostly he gets lessons from the doctor, and other people at the circus. I think we have been there… half a year, perhaps more.''  
>Augustine snorted at the mention of lessons, and continued her questionnaire. "And before that?"<p>

"We lived in the city of Bath. We survived by pawning of the jewelry I had taken with me."

"Nothing else?"

Star looked up. The woman was asking her if she had prostituted herself. In her darkest hours she had considered it, but one look at the women had been enough to make her turn from the thought. They got beaten, caught diseases and in general didn't last long. Not to mention that pregnancy was a real danger, and the last thing she had needed was another mouth to feed. But she couldn't well confess the stealing either. It would reflect badly on George, even if he had never had any part in it.

"I never did anything else, apart from trying to get a job at a bakery or the like." That part was true enough. The work never lasted more than a few days, either because the men couldn't keep their hand of her, their wives didn't want her there, and then there was the reason that she had never worked a day in her entire life before. More often than not the reason had simply been that she destroyed more things than the people were paying her for her work.

The older woman remained silent, sizing her up and determining if she was speaking the truth. Finally she nodded, believing her. Or at least, giving her the benefit of doubt. She turned to George next, asking him questions. Had he been taught calculus? What about geography? How much did he know about the family business?

Star had two more cups of tea before Augustine had finally finished inquisition, before the woman clapped her hands, summoning a maid and a butler.  
>"Very well then, I'll just have these people escort you two to your rooms. Tomorrow begins some serious work, I can assure you tha-"<p>

"No."

Augustine looked at Star in surprise. "No? what do you mean, no?"

"I thought my grandmother would be able to derive such a simple word. There was no question posed as to if we wish to stay her or not. My friends will come and pick us up in a matter of an hour or so. As was agreed yesterday."

"But… after this talk… surely you agree that this is a much better environment for you little brother?"

"Perhaps it is. But as I said, you have left me entirely under the illusion that we would both be allowed to go back to the circus. I have arranged for us to be picked up by then."

"I have had rooms prepared. Clothes tailored, for the two of you. There's a big feast that I'm planning in merely three days from now, to welcome you back into our society. Providence has led the two of you back to me, so I can only take it as a hint that I must be the one to help George reclaim his birthright."

"I… a party? Clothes and rooms? Grandmother, aren't you moving too fast?"

"I can't move fast enough. You and George have been without a proper education for too long. Sure, there shall be some laughter and whispering at both your expenses, but I am sure that if we shine enough, the two of you shall yet become jewels in our society. As for George, I've considered asking the young Earl Phantomhive about his teachers. That boys manages more than well enough, and in cases like these it's certainly a lot that comes from noble breading, but also from teachers. Something which George desperately needs."

"I do?" George asked, raising an eyebrow. If he needed proper teachers, this was the first he heard about it. After all, he knew how to write and things like that, and Joker had though him to juggle with five balls already. That was one more than his sister knew how to handle. As for living here, he didn't quite see why he should. As far as he was concerned, his place was with his sister. And her place was with Joker, at the circus.

"You do." His grandmother assured him. "And as for Valentine, I have also arranged some plans to ensure that she also lands properly on her feet."

"Star. My name is Star now."

Augustine scoffed. "What for a name is Star? I can't believe you would allow yourself to be called that."

"It's the name Joker gave me, on the first day I started there."

"A name given to you by common rabble. Believe me girl, a name is everything in our world. And a name like 'Star' will only make you the laughing stock of society."

"Joker is not common rabble. He's the kindest, sincerest and bravest man I have ever laid eyes on. I'm certain there' s a ton of gentlemen in high society that could take a lesson in chivalry from him." Star replied with such chill it could rival the coldest winter day.

Augustine's eyes narrowed. "I assume that 'Joker' would be the name of that fellow you were so amicable with. The name on its own says enough about his trustworthiness. I shall arrange a meeting with a doctor for you, to make sure that your little escapade with that man hasn't left any fruits that might embarrass you later on in life."

"Embarrass? If you are insinuating that I would let any child of me and Joker die, you are way of the mark!"

"This folly has gone on long enough, young lady! The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree indeed. Your father also displayed such common tastes, and I shan't allow you to bring further shame to this family. You are to break off any and all relations with the people from that circus, and especially that Joker!"

"Joker is a good man!" Star yelled back at the woman, fuming in rage. George looked from his sister to his grandmother, fervently wishing that he was invisible.

"A good man! There are tons of good men out there, and chivalrous to boot. But the thing to which it will come down at the end of the day, my dear, is whether that chivalrous man can provide for you. If I let you continue now, you will be wishing I had forced you to obey me in five years from now!"

"Never!" Star yelled back. Any tarnish to Joker's name she considered a personal attack. Even if Joker hadn't touched her in a way that would cause 'embarrassments', her grandmother could guess all she wanted. She would not give up Joker.

The servants looked shocked. George looked shocked. Augustine on the other hand regained her composure quickly, and gave Star the kind of smile one would give a slightly deranged smile.

"As you want. If you are so convinced of this man's worth, why not bring him with you to the party? A man as trustworthy, chivalrous and benign won't have any trouble conversing with some of London's finest, now will he."

Before Star could open her mouth, George replied. "That sounds like an excellent idea. I'm sure Joker will do great! There's no way he can do otherwise!"

Those were the words of a child who idolized a hero. He didn't see Joker through the sudden gleam of reality that Star was forced to look through. Augustine would make a laughing stock of Joker at the party, in one way or another. She would find a way to force Star to stay, if she could. Unless she could convince her that Joker had any quality the old woman looked for in a gentleman. And she had three days to prep Joker for that role. She hoped he would be able to live up to George's expectations and Augustine's demands. It was the only way that she would be able to remain with the circus in a relatively decent and uneventful manner. And if he didn't?

They would just have another row then, wouldn't they?


	15. Lessons and Tension

|The Circus|

"Ye want me to do what now?" Joker asked, blinking at Star in a way that suggested he was only seeing her for the first time in all his life. Star sighed, sitting with the man on the bed in his room.

"My grandmother doesn't believe that you are quite capable to take care of me and George. And because George spoke up at a rather… unfortunate moment, I ended up engaging in a bet with her that you are as much a gentleman as any of those overgrown mustaches that she knows." She explained, not quite that happy with the situation herself.

Joker ran a hand across his face, slightly moaning in disbelief. "Ye didn't." he mumbled.

"It's not like I had a choice…" she retorted, looking slightly insecure. "I'm sorry for putting you through all the trouble, I didn't mean to-"

He shut her up by placing a finger to her lips. Green eyes looked at her in the mischievous way that she had learned to know so well.  
>"No need to go apologizing. Ye believin' in me is a pretty great thing. I'll do me best to prove you right."<p>

"Joker…" she smiled at him, and he smiled right back at her. Running a hand across his red locks she moved closer to him. Joker smiled, doing the same thing. When their lips met, Star could almost swear there was a small spark emitted between the two of them. He ran his hands through her hair, trying to be as close as he could be. She slowly opened her mouth to him, allowing him to taste her.

He did so teasingly, in short little movements, before finally getting serious. A soft moan escaped her lips, as she returned him the favor. He wanted to ask her to stay with him for the night, but that would mean that she would have to leave George and Doll alone for the night. He didn't want to put the youngsters through that, even if it meant that he had to… control certain urges for the time being. And Star wasn't making things any easier, with the way she was kissing him. Finally he let her go, smiling at her in an affectionate way.  
>"Maybe ye'd better go fer now, Star. Don't want the kids worryin', do we?"<p>

Star bit her lip in frustration. Joker wondered if she got as worked up about it as he did when they had to break things off before he was getting too much into it. She pressed a kiss on his cheek, and he could feel the smile in there as she did so.  
>"Okay then. Goodnight, Joker. Tomorrow, it's my turn to give you some training, isn't it?"<p>

He chuckled. "That's true. But hey, how hard can it be?" he replied.

|The Next Day|

Joker ended up learning exactly how hard it could be, at least that was Dagger's conclusion when he walked into the tent his elder Brother inhabited.  
>"Joker, how are ye doin' in yer new training?" the blonde man casually inquired, scratching the side of his head with a dagger hilt.<p>

Joker turned his head to the side as much as he could. Star had bound a scarf around his elbows and neck in order to keep him sitting 'properly', as she had termed it. His lover was now sitting on a chair next to him, keeping a scrupulous eye on his dealings.  
>"I'm a bit tied up right now." he made the obvious joke. Dagger chuckled nonetheless, and decided to sit on the bed to watch the proceedings. The two of them had been locked up in the tent for the past two hours, and Dagger just wanted to check if nothing was going on that might land the two into parenthood. The scene he had now discovered was far more amusing.<p>

"No slouching." Star commented, keeping her eyes on Joker without relent.

He let out a sigh, straightening his back again. Then he reached for the spoon, without letting his elbows touch the table. Star nodded approvingly, glad to see some amount of progress as she rubbed her temples. Properly eating was just one step on the way though. There would be walking, and dancing, and the thing she was now fearing the most of all : speaking. How on earth would she get Joker to say 'you' properly, when it had become such an automatism to him? On top of that, she also had to see to it that George would be able to withstand any scrutiny that their grandmother might be throwing at them, which meant she spent a lot of time tutoring him as well. George complained about it, but went quiet quickly when she reminded him of what the old woman might say when she found out he couldn't answer her questions correctly.  
>With a start she unleashed Joker from the scarf that was on its way to choking the man, mumbling sweet words to him as she did so.<p>

|The Day After That, Joker's Tent|

"And one, two, three, and one, two, ouch." Star let go of Joker's hands, rubbing her stepped on foot, giving her boyfriend an admonishing glance. It had been the third time since they had started practicing, and things weren't exactly looking to be improving. At least she had the confidence that he wouldn't poke anyone's eye out during dinner.

"I'm sorry, Star." He said, trying to bend over to look at her foot. He was stopped by the broomstick she had tied to his back to make sure he would be standing up nice and straight. He had the feeling that being noble involved someone spending a lot of time either tied up, or tying other people up.  
>"Is this what they did to ye when ye were becomin' a Lady?" he asked her. Star shot him a loving glance, before standing up and grabbing his hands again. They took it slower this time, and even if he stumbled, at least he didn't step on her feet again.<p>

"Well, they sent me to a ladies school most of the time. I only ever got to see my parents during the summer until I graduated from there. At least you don't have a surly old matron rapping your knuckles every time you put your tea down too fast. And I'm not stuffing your mouth with pebbles either so you'll be able to pronounce certain words a wee bit fancier." Though, truth be told, she had been quite tempted to do so.

Joker chuckled, trying to imagine a younger Star in a fancy dress, being scolded for not drinking her tea in exactly the right way. He was going through the crash course right now, while she had lived the life. He tried to lead her a bit better, and she went along with his movements.  
>"There will be music at the party." She commented, as his fingers twitched nervously. "It'll be a bit easier then, since there will be a help as to keeping the pace." Joker nodded, taking another turn. The broomstick protested however, and he ended up tripping forward. Star couldn't react fast enough, and the two of them ended up crashing on the floor. Star was quite literally seeing stars as her head knocked into that of Joker.<p>

"Dancin' is a real hazard, innit?" he asked her, getting up on his elbows a bit, looking down at her with a pained smile. He reached backwards with one hand, finally getting rid of the broomstick he had learned to loathe in the past hour. Star looked up at him with the kind of look that suggested she needed a break. Or perhaps, an army of people better suited than her to teach Joker how to behave in the higher circles.

"This is pathetic." She announced. "I mean, what does it matter what that old wrinkled berry thinks about you and what you can do? I know what you can do, and that should be enough for her and for me. For anybody. Because if there is one thing I'm a hundred percent certain about, it's that you will never disappoint me."

Joker gave her a small bump with his head, pulling up one side of his mouth. "We're in this mess together, my star. And once ye are in a fix, ye should be able to get out of it as well, as ye an' me have proven on a number of occasions. Less mopin', more dancin'." He concluded, giving her an encouraging look.

She rolled her head on the ground, moaning in despair. "How can you not be annoyed by this? Do you know how much work we still have to do? I mean, after this there's-"

He shut her up with a kiss, nestling his body a bit closer to hers. His upper legs were pressing her legs together, as he hunched over her, deepening the kiss. She answered, before giving him a small bite on his lip to make his stop it.

"That is not helping the situation, you know?" she told him, sounding slightly abated.

Joker let out a throaty laugh, pressing some light kisses on her neck, working his way up to her ear.  
>"It is a good way to get ye motivated again, innit?" he replied to her, running his tongue past her earlobe.<p>

She pressed herself upward, trying to escape his soft, sweet prison. He held her wrists pinned to the ground, pressing another kiss on her lips, quick, soft and light. She wriggled, but didn't really struggle against him.  
>"Only to get me motivated?" she asked him slowly. His eyes rested on hers, in a way so intimate it almost scared her. She did love it when he took control, and right now she too was in the mood for a little bit of playing. "Or do you need some motivating too?" she asked him, placing her lips on the hollow of his throat.<p>

He pressed his body even closer to hers in response, taken in surprise. "Seriously, Star. Do ye really think I need any more motivating?" Just the thought of her lying underneath him was almost too much for him to bear. And the thought that she didn't give any hint towards not wanting him to take things to the next step was almost worse for his self-control. He buried his face in her neck, trying to keep his head straight.

"Star… I wouldn't be doin' that if I were ye. Star!" he said reproachfully as she gave him a quick love bite. She nibbled softly on his lower lip, the ground being rather uncomfortably against her back. Still, right now it was the best place to be in the world for her. And Joker's flushed face was almost too adorable to bear. His blush almost creeped to his ears, as he now became the one being seduced.

"We're not doing anything wrong…" she told him, wriggling beneath him. He kissed her back, becoming increasingly more unaware of his surroundings. That was, until someone coughed near the doorway.

Breaking apart from each other, the two looked at the person interrupting their moment. A man dressed in a butler's suit looked at them as if they had personally offended them. His blond hair and blue eyes would have made him irresistible, at least if it hadn't been for the look on his face that never changed, as Star would learn later on.  
>"Miss Valentine, my name is Edward. Miss, your grandmother sent me with a set of clothes for you and the young Master. There is also a suit included for your… acquaintance." The man said in a sour tone. Star almost started laughing out loud. Leave it to the upper crust to describe Joker as a mere acquaintance when they were in this position.<p>

Joker got up, offering Star his hand as he did so. She accepted, and dusted off her clothes. The butler remained silent, watching her and trying to ignore Joker as well as he could. Once she had finished that, having taken her sweet time for it, she finally paid attention to the man. He kept looking at her like he had smelled something foul.

"Well, that's incredibly nice of her, isn't it?" she said, giving the man the kind of smile that anybody could tell was fake. She didn't like him on instinct, and he had ruined her time with Joker. She couldn't see him half as often as she wanted to, and these days helping him prepare managed to get them some private time. Being in the circus meant that there was an alarmingly small amount of true private space. And precious little time for her to get to the true depths of her relationship with Joker. "If you don't mind, you can leave them on the bed, right there." She said, waving her hand in the general direction of the bed. If possibly, Joker became even redder when that certain piece of equipment was mentioned. Edward bowed slightly, walked towards the bed and then retreated out of the tent, giving the couple a reverent bow as he did so.  
>Star put a hand to her face, and let out a deep sigh. "Honestly, we can't even have an hour to ourselves without someone bursting in." She looked at Joker, who seemed to have been mortified by someone walking in on him and Star. He looked at her, and wondered what he had done to preserve her. She gave him a small nudge, and a smile that indicated she knew the mood was ruined.<p>

"I'll go and get George to review some of his lessons, okay?" she asked him.

Joker nodded, looking at her lopsided. "Next time, we'll remember there's a bed in the room, eh?" he said, in a joking manner. It was Star's turn to blush, and she made a small, non-committing sound before she walked out of the tent.

While she was walking to George, she tried to figure out how she actually should deal with everything. Apart from trying to get Joker in a shape where he could pass for a gentleman for one night, there was also a very real tension between the two. Whenever they had something that resembled privacy, they'd be kissing like there was no tomorrow. And though she went with it at the moment itself, afterward she found herself to be almost mortally horrified when she thought about her conduct. No doubt that butler, Edward, would be reporting back to her grandmother with what he had seen. And he didn't even have to embellish it to make it look bad, because she already know what her grandmother would say when she heard.

She chewed her lip nervously when she thought about exactly what she wanted to do with Joker. A lot of it were thought that her old teachers would term to be 'unfitting for a lady of any age or standing'. Then again, she doubted her teachers had ever met anyone who was even a close match to Joker. She would have liked seeing her old teachers keeping their chastity in the situation she was in.

She kicked a rock, and wandered to the stables. There was a chance George would be there, and if he wasn't, she could complain to Devil as to how much she was conflicted. She wanted to be with Joker, almost painfully so. But it also scared her to no end, even though he was the one showing the most restraint. Sooner or later, they would be taking that step, and she didn't quite know how she would handle that. The entirety of the business – like the hookers in Bath had explained to her once – seemed to be at once degrading and simply preposterous. How would she be able to keep herself from laughing if it happened? She almost tripped when she realized she'd have to take her clothes off. When she reached Devil, the stallion let out a soft neigh when he saw her.  
>"Devil… I don't suppose you can give me any lessons on that subject, right?" she mumbled in the horses manes. Devil made no reply to her, but simply stood there, letting her brood in silence.<p>

|Back with Joker|

He paced around his tent, agitated. He hated that butler for coming in like that, for seeing his Star in such a position, but at the same time he was grateful. At times he didn't know how much longer he'd be able to restrain himself. And he didn't want to scare her. It had to be a perfect experience for her, if it came to that.  
>Even so, there was the odds of her becoming pregnant. He started to chew on the knuckles of his prosthetic when he thought about that option. Beast had planted a seed in his mind that was slowly taking root, and filled him to the core with a feeling of dread. Father would find out about him having a sweetheart, he always found out about really big things in the Circus. He really couldn't gauge as to what the Baron might do. Would he ask Joker to give up the child if it came to that? He didn't think he would be able to look Star in the eye if his Father asked that. He didn't know if he would be able to go through with it or not. Star was precious to him, so precious that he even agreed to put up with this charade on turning him into a gentleman. Star should know that it wouldn't be possible. There was no way he would be able to pass an entire evening as a man who had not spent most of his life surviving at all costs.<p>

He stopped chewing on his knuckles when he realized what he was doing, instead looking at himself in the mirror. On the other hand, he thought, a kid of him and Star… wouldn't that just be the cutest thing that anybody would have ever seen?


	16. What Would You Do

|To The Party|

"Stop fidgeting, you're going to mess up your tie if you keep pulling on it like that." Star said, prying Joker's fingers away from aforementioned item. He frowned, his green eyes on her hands as they were keeping a hold of his. With a sigh he looked outside the coach window, at the meadows rolling by as they were on their way to Augustine's mansion. Joker found himself wishing that there had been no need for this little 'show' he had to give. What did behaving like a bloody gentlemen have anything to do with his capability of taking care of Star and her brother anyway? Would his pronunciation or table manners keep the two safe from cold and sickness? He didn't think it would have any effect in the least, but if Augustine needed to see that the boyfriend of her granddaughter was able to pretend to be a lord, so be it.

At least George hadn't come along. He hadn't liked the way his grandmother had kept eying him all the time when they had been at her house a few days before, and had been only too happy when Dagger and Doll had offered to take care of him.

Star noticed how uneasy Joker was, and gave his skeletal prosthetic a quick squeeze. When he looked at her, she added a wink as well.  
>"I think I'm goin' to be sick." He said, looking a bit green in the face. He looked to be downright eaten with nerves, something which struck Star as odd.<p>

"You can perform in a tent for hundreds of people, and you don't even break a sweat!" she said, grabbing his face between her two hands. She pressed a kiss on his nose, before pressing her forehead against his. Her auburn locks entwined in his reddish ones, she continued.  
>"This will be just fine, you know? There will be some people, but you don't need to worry about all of them. And you just have to remember the most important rule you taught me when I was learning the ropes at the circus, don't you?"<p>

He raised an eyebrow at her, pretending to have forgotten the rule. "Always keep yer eyes on the balls when ye're jugglin'?"

She pinched his nose, smiling sweetly. "Silly! You have to smile. So let me see a real winner smile, okay?"

He smiled at her, as convincing as he could get at the moment. She didn't seem to buy it at all, but decided to let it pass at the moment. Because of the small distraction, the pair of them hadn't heard the coach driver yelling that they'd be arriving, and they almost slid out of their seats as a consequence. Star could feel the small, ornamental hat she was wearing slipping from her head, and gave it a quick push up again. When she had gotten back up, Joker was once again fiddling with his tie, looking to the well-lit mansion with an even more nervous grin on his face.

"You will be fine, you know? It's not like they're into eating people... well, it would be a first, at the very least."

She was met with a grimace that seemed to imply he wasn't quite that much impressed with her when she said that, but he gave the tie a small pat, and got out of the coach, offering her his hand when she followed after him. She was only too happy to accept, seeing as how the dress Augustine had sent over greatly limited her ability to move. At least the heels weren't that much of a hindrance, seeing as how she usually had to wear those when she had to help Joker in the ring. She could be doing cartwheels in the flipping things without breaking a sweat.

So far people weren't paying attention to them, though that might very well change once they were inside with her grandmother. The woman would probably be very intent on making the entire evening as unpleasant as possible for Star and Joker, mostly for the latter. Star would not abandon Joker, even if tonight didn't go exactly as it should. They were announced as 'Miss Valentine and companion' when they entered, probably because her grandmother hadn't wanted the name 'Joker' to be pronounced in front of her many friends.  
>Speaking of the elderly woman, she was dressed in yet another grey dress, with dark bands spreading to the floor. A pigeon – gray hat was on top of her head, as she looked at Star giving a curtsy as deep as she could manage in the dress. She pulled Joker in a bow while holding his arm along with her. She had felt him freeze up as soon as he laid eyes on the gray-haired woman, and he started to stutter as soon as he saw her.<p>

"A-a-a p-pleasure to be 'ere, ma'am." He managed to bring out. Star forced herself to keep smiling, thanking her lucky stars that at least he was standing upright nicely. Augustine smiled at the young man, with a look in her eyes that seemed to be judging every singly misstep he had done in his past.

"It's… interesting to see you, Joker." She said, biting off the last part of her sentence, as if that would somehow make his name disappear. "I hope you'll find this evening to be to your every liking."

Star groaned internally. Tonight would be a fancy, schmancy hell.

|Meanwhile, Noah's Arc Circus|

Beast looked down at the sealed envelope that had just arrived. She had been walking past Joker's tent when the letter arrived, and after retrieving the letter she had stood gazing at it the past fifteen minutes, trying to decide whether she should open it or not. Running her tongue past her red lips, she cast a furtive glance on Joker's tent. Should she wait until he was back? And then what? He'd probably be with Star, and they wouldn't be back soon either. Father would probably want his latest 'playmate' as soon as he could. Usually Joker was the one giving orders but…

She started to chew her lip now, trying to decide just what would be expected of her. Actually, tonight would be the best time to go out. With Star not around, there was no chance she would know of anyone missing from the first string. The girl wouldn't go around asking annoying questions then. Beast didn't care about her rival, but she did know that Joker would give her an earful if she did anything to upset his precious Star.  
>With a deep sigh she straightened her shoulders, taking the letter to Doctor. He would know what to do. He was after all appointed by Father to make sure all his children would be safe and healthy. And he knew what they were doing while touring the country as well, so there wouldn't be any harm in involving the man in this.<p>

Arriving at his tent, she coughed slightly before entering. The man in the wheelchair looked at her in surprise, not expecting her at all. His most frequent patient was George, the little boy that only functioned thanks to the medicine the Doctor managed to procure for him time and time again.  
>"Beast? Is something the matter? Did Betsy harm you?" he asked, rolling his wheelchair towards her. Beast shook her head, holding out the letter towards the man.<p>

"Father… sent us a new message. I don't know what to do with it." She said, looking at the Doctor, with a face that hinted at her displeasure of being forced to admit that she wasn't absolutely sure about something.

The man accepted the envelope from her, and tapped it against his face. He looked at her, scanning her thoughts almost. "And you don't want to open it because usually Joker is the one to carry the burden of giving orders, is that it? You don't want to be the one to give the order of going out there and lifting a child from their beds."He used a scalpel to rip open the envelope, dropping the letter in his lap.  
>"Well, Joker is the one most suited for that, isn't he? He is the one with the most 'family' sense after all. And the rest of you…"<p>

The light shone on his glasses as he stopped talking, his eyes scanning the paper in a most incredulous look. Beast looked at him almost panicked when she saw the Doctor look like that. Nothing fazed him, not even broken bones and open wounds. When he was done reading, he almost seemed to be feeling some kind of remorse.

"What… what does it say?" she asked him, moistening her lips.  
>He took off his glasses and started to polish them with a piece of cloth lying around. He didn't even seem to notice the stain of blood that was drawing a smudgy smear across his glasses. When he was done with that, he finally lifted the long wait from Beast.<p>

"Well then… it would seem that your lord Father has heard a most interesting tale. A rumor, about a young boy, around the age that he prefers, that has been raised by his sister after being missing for several years. Now it would seem that the boy has found his way home to the house of his grandmother, and the whispers on the street have let him know that there is talk of the woman once again adopting him, so he can take his rightful place as the head of their family."  
>He let his eyes rest on Beast's leather-clad form. "Doesn't that sound familiar? Your Father is most interested in the boy, and he wants to make his acquaintance with the young lad as soon as possible."<p>

Beast startled, eyes widely opened. "He's talking about George?"

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders, waving the letter around. "Would you like that I let you read for yourself?"

Beast shook her head, wrapping one arm around herself. They had already taken so many children. It was silly of her to be so shaken by something so silly as knowing the victim this time. It was weak, and wouldn't do anyone any good. The Doctor asked her what she was planning on doing now.

"We can't just take the kid right from under everyone's noses, can we? We take 'im wiv' us right now, his sister will be going berserk, and not to mention…"

"What?"

"… Joker is too involved wiv' Star, in't he? He'll never let us off if 'e finds out we took the kid. 'E'll start a riot to get 'im back."

The Doctor shook his head. "You don't know that for sure, now do you? He is still as dedicated to Father as he has always been. At least, that is what I have observed up until now."

"Up until now there 'asn't been anything to make 'im doubt, was there? Now we all know the kid. What if Joker can't do it? What if he gives it all up, for 'er?"

The Docter leant back in his chair, looking at Beast with something that was almost apprehensive. "Then what are you planning on doing, Beast?" he asked her, his hands folded in front of his mouth as he looked at her intently.

Beast frowned, pouting her mouth as she looked into the shadows. She was only doing the smart thing. The thing that was best for everyone. Joker was the one who wanted to protect the remaining children in the workhouse. It was for them that they had all given it up. For those children that others had been sacrificed to the whims of the owner of that workhouse. Beast let a hand slide over her prosthetic leg, rubbing it nervously.

What would Joker normally do? What would he do if one of them didn't want to kidnap a certain kid?

Go behind their back, probably. First he would try to reason things, of course, but in the end he would put the needs of his family first. That was Joker, that was what he would do. Beast knew that. Now she would have to make this decision, for Joker. For Joker, she would be able to sacrifice that sweet, little, innocent George. That little lordling that had had it so tough already.  
>"Here is what we are goin' to do…" she started, wrapping her whip around her hand multiple times in anticipation.<p>

|Augustine's Mansion|

"Well, all in all, I think things could have gone worse." Star said, as Joker was trying to perform a decent waltz with her across the room. She had the gnawing suspicion that more than half of the people watching them, and not because they were dancing so admirably. Still, Joker was doing better than expected, considering the very limited time he had had to become something that resembled a lord.

"Ye mean things have started looking up since I dropped the soup in that Lady Fitzin'ers lap?" Joker asked, sounding disgruntled. Star smiled up at him, trying to ignore how displeased he was with his own performance.

"Well, actually things only started going up after you accidentally managed to light her husband's tobacco pouch on fire. They must certainly think they did you some great personal wrong, since you're going after them like that."

Joker inhaled with a hiss remembering that incident. He had ended up dousing the fire with a vase filled with red roses. The Lord hadn't been pleased, seeing as how a servant had neglected to remove the thorns from the wretched flowers, leaving his face scratched and his mood as sour as curdled milk.  
>"It wasn't like I was aimin' for them. Not me fault that they're always runnin' in the way of things, like." He said, guiding her towards the sides, wary of eyes being directed at him. To be honest, he felt naked without his make-up. He rarely had a day when he didn't wear it, and in this environment he felt like he could use every bit of protection he had. After the dinner he had been forced to go with the other gentlemen to one of the salons, separate from the women, so they could discuss 'gentlemanly' manners. He had soon found out that this basically meant drinking alcohol and discussing various bets and business affairs, though the latter did seem to mix a bit. Some of the men had been as kind as to involve him in their talks, and had listened to him as he explained what his job was.<br>One of the elder men had shut up some younger ones when they had tried to snigger at him, telling them that the day they knew how to run a large enterprise such as Joker was doing, for several years on running without ever being able to take a pause. He had rested his eyes on Joker, and finally taken the younger man apart, offering him a position in his company in case he should ever wish to leave his current enterprise. Joker spotted the older man across the room, and gave a small nod with his head to acknowledge him. After Joker had declined as politely as he could, the man had smiled, and given him his card, 'just in case'.

Star had mentioned nothing about her time with the women. Truth be told, they had been far colder towards her than their husbands, fathers and sons had been towards Joker. Somehow they managed to view her forced disappearance as an insult towards them all. Star bit the inside of her cheek as she thought about the cold treatment, and raised her head some higher when one of the younger girls tiptoed past. The girl nearly froze in her tracks at that look before quickly retreating some other way. They were only scary in groups, and nothing compared to Beast when she was having a bad day.

Augustine slowly made her way towards them, using her cane to shoo away some of the younger men who weren't going out of her way quickly enough. The woman had reddened with each mishap Joker had made, a deeper and deep shade until she finally had reached scarlet. The silence between her and Star had been almost ear-shattering the entire evening. The older woman reached them, and sat down on a chair. The young couple soon viewed they had no other choice than to follow her example.

"I suppose I don't need to tell the two of you that young sir… Joker, has failed in almost every aspect of being a lord I can think off. I know I should not expect miracles, but at least some form of decorum would have been expected. Not to mention the damage you wrecked in the main hallway when you went about scrambling for water to put out poor Lord Fitzinger's tobacco pouch. How one man is capable of such destruction, I will never know."

Star immediately started fuming at this. Joker had done his very best, and she wouldn't hear a bad word about him.  
>"He did everything that was humanly possible. I'd like to see any of your fine Lords survive a day at the circus. I really would."<p>

Augustine pressed her lips together in a thin smile when she heard that. "He may have done his best, but that certainly wasn't good enough. I fear I have no other choice than to force you to leave George with me. You however are free to pursue any dream with your… you are free to go. You may visit the young lord when you are in the vicinity as well."

She said the last part as if she was bestowing Star with a huge favor. Star pursed her lips in response, giving the woman an exceedingly sour look. Before she could open her mouth to speak, one of the circus hands burst into the room, bolting towards them as fast as he could. He ignored the room full of finely dressed people, and went straight for his boss.

"Joker, boss sir! There's a fire at the Doctor's!"

|Moon's Note : I really do love your reviews, they always make me smile. Thank you for your continued support, and please have a wonderful day!|


	17. Sorrowful Goodbye

|The Circus|

Star steadied herself with one hand at the side of the coach, peering out the window. Joker was doing the same on the other side, trying to see further ahead. There was a large plume of smoke coming from the circus grounds, reaching towards the sky in an ominous way.  
>'That looks really bad, doesn't it?' she murmured to herself, looking at the way the great gray plume made its way up to the clouds. 'That's really, really bad.'<br>She wanted to scream at the coach driver to hurry up, to get those horses moving faster, but she knew that they were already going as fast as possible. She would have ridden a horse, if her grandmother hadn't forced them all in the coach as soon as possible. Augustine was sitting in the center of the coach, her hands folded on her cane as she looked straight ahead. Her gray hair was still stuck in an immaculate bun on top of her head. Star looked away, seemingly grim. 'It's like she doesn't even care.' But then again, the chances of Augustine caring for someone who wasn't a part of her precious family were pretty slim.

She and Joker jumped from the coach before it had even come to a complete standstill. But they were already too late to be of any use; the remains of the doctor's hut still smoldering as the circus attendants dumped buckets of sand, dirt and water on top of it. Joker made his way to the Doctor, who was sitting there in his wheelchair, looking at the smoking remainders of his tent. When his look shifted to Joker, his gaze was thoughtful and slightly sad.  
>'Joker… you rushed back so quickly , while there was no need.'<br>'I can't go about ignorin' a fire in the circus, now can I?' Joker replied, taking of his glove as he looked around the grounds in a worry. People were walking about busily, already looking through the ashes of the tent for medicines that might have survived the fire. Joker looked to be even more out of place in his rather sober dress suit here than he had at Augustine's ball. Still, the way he stood there and started to give commands was just like him, strict and just. Star looked at him with a certain pride in her eyes, before she turned to the Doctor.  
>'I don't see George anywhere. Where is he?' she asked him.<br>'Beast took him and the other children somewhere safe away from the fire. They'll be back soon enough.' He replied, gesturing vaguely. Before Star could make off in the direction pointed Jumbo pushed a big roll of tarp in her arms, sending her to take it to the seamstresses who would be starting their work on a new doctor's tent this very instance.  
>'I'll be back in a moment.' She said to Augustine, who stood there wearing a disgusted frown. The woman nodded curtly. Star stomped off in her fancy dress and high heels, carrying the soot-covered tarp as well as she could.<p>

|With Beast and George, a bit earlier|

'That ain't pretty, right?' Beast murmured softly, holding George by the shoulder as they watched the fire consume the tent of the Doctor. George shifted from his weight from one foot to the other, looking from Beast to the flames and back again. The black-haired woman looked even more frightening now the flames painted her body in dark orange and deep red colors, as if someone had dipped her in paint for a few seconds. Her gloved hand held him by the shoulder, the fingers holding a tight grip on him. He knew well enough that she held no love for his big sister, and he had tried his best to stay away from her as often as possible. And now she was the one keeping him safe from the fire. George watched as Doll dumped water on the fire as fast as she could, and how Jumbo shoveled dirt on top of the fire.  
>'Do ye know what this means, George?' Beast asked him, her dark brown eyes on the child's face. George looked up to her, insecure of what she wanted from him.<br>'What are you talking about?' he asked, not sure what answer the woman was getting at. Beast looked down at his boyish face, almost as if she was kind of sad.  
>'If the Doctor doesn't have his tools anymore, it's goin' to be tough takin' care of everyone 'ere. And there are some people who need special medicine on a daily basis…' her voice trailed off, looking at George in a way that suggested he already knew what she was getting at.<br>'My medicine was burnt too, in there.' he said, looking at the fire. It was true that he needed medicine on a regular basis. He was prone to disease, and often ended up with a fever or worse. His sister had been so happy to be somewhere where they could get medicine without having to worry.  
>'I'll be okay! Who knows, maybe I won't get sick that often anymore!' he tried to sound confident, but he already knew he was lying. Beast said nothing, but her look told him that she knew that he was being overconfident. Without medicine, and with the hard life in the circus, he would be sick before he knew it again. And if they couldn't get the medicine soon, there was no way he'd be able to survive. He'd never be able to travel to the next city in order to get medicine.<br>'Lucky for ye yer grandmother lives 'ere.' Beast looked at him with a smile. The fire gleamed in her eyes. 'Ye can stay here. Won't that be better? Yer grandmother will take care of ye, and better yet, yer sister won't have to worry about ye anymore. Even if yer healthy, she an' Joker might be wantin' to start a family together. A little brother… feels like something like that would be getting' in the way.'

George looked away, worried by her words. Though his sister and Joker were a couple now, he didn't think they would want him to leave. His sister loved him after all, and Joker was just like an older brother to him. He thought him everything George asked him to teach him, and then some. Joker did nothing but look out for everyone from the group. Even if he and sis had a kid, they wouldn't abandon him. Beast continued, her dark brown eyes focused on the young boy.  
>'And it looks to me, that if ye were to become some young lord, all mighty like, ye'd be able to give yer sister some support. If ye were to stay here and work hard, ye'd be able to become a real Lord. Wouldn't that be convenient like?'<br>George's eyes grew bigger when Beast said. He hadn't thought about that before. He had heard about it from some of the stories that his sister told, and from remarks he had picked up from Joker and Dagger, how rich people sometimes funded traveling troupes, to enhance their name. If he became a real Lord, he'd have full control on how to spend his money. Like… supporting Joker's circus, and make sure that there would always be enough food and medicine for everyone here. Why, he'd be able to make the circus bigger and better than it had ever been. Even if there was some kind of sponsor right now, wouldn't a second one make everything better?

Beast saw that now she had hit the right note with the little boy. Telling him his sister would be fine without him was a no-go, but apparently offering him the tools to make life of said sister better would send him running to his grandmother. She felt an unexpected sadness at what she had just done, but just at that moment the coach arrived. When she saw Joker almost jumping out of the carriage, dressed like a Lord, all feelings of regret vanished without a trace. She was doing this for him after all. He wouldn't be able to give up little George, and that would mean the end for the circus. The end for the little brothers and sisters still at the workhouse, for which he cared so much. In the end, what she had just done would certainly be for the best. And she didn't have to care for Star's well-being at all. In the end, that woman had stolen Joker away, and she didn't have any obligation to make sure she would be happy. Losing her brother might finally topple her from that high horse, and show her some proper respect for how other people had to live their lives. She looked down, and noticed George had run of during her reverie. It wasn't a matter, she knew now exactly how the young boy would be handling things after her suggestions.

|Back with Star|

Star sat down on a pile of logs and tarp, moist with the water the circus hands had thrown over them in order to keep these too from catching fire. Augustine was standing a bit further, watching the actions of everybody from a distance, the look in her eyes as cool and unbending as freshly hammered iron. All care Star had felt for her pretty dress had faded away, and her little hat with the feathers seemed to droop to the side in sympathy with the general feeling here at the circus. Losing the medical tent was pretty much the worst thing that could happen. Without a place where the doc could store all of his tools, keeping people healthy here would be even more difficult than it had been.  
>'Of course, now he doesn't even have any tools to store.' Star muttered to herself, leaning back to see the stars. Smoke still trailed from the pile of ash that had once been the medical tent, blocking out a few of the stars.<br>'Sister.' She shot up immediately when she heard that voice. Her little brother had been safe after all, thank the heavens! She took the few steps separating him from her, falling to the ground and throwing her arms around the young boy in relief.  
>'George, you're safe! I'm so happy. I'm so sorry for not being here when this happened, but I'm happy that at least nothing happened to you.' She smoothed down his unruly hair a bit, and rubbed a bit of ashes on his cheek away. Pale but healthy – looking, he was as much of a sight for sore eyes as she could ever have wished. The boy allowed the adorations from his sister, but the look he had in his eyes was for too much that of an adult at this moment.<p>

'Sister. I've decided to stay with grandmother.'  
>Star stopped her affections immediately. She backed away a bit, still with her knees on the ground, to get a better view of the boy.<br>'Stay with Augustine? Are you serious?' she put a hand to the boy's forehead, checking for a fever. Not finding anything, she looked sternly in her brother's eyes. 'What's this nonsense about wanting to stay here?'  
>George wiggled his feet around in the dirt, looking down at them rather than looking his sister in the face.<br>'Well… with the tent burned down… there's no more medicine for me sis. And… I get sick so easily…'  
>Tears welled up in his dark eyes when he looked back at her. 'I don't really want to stay. I want to go with you and Joker, and be happy together. I really want to stay here. It's my home.'<br>He fell back in Star's arms, his small frame shaking with the tears he was trying to hold back. Right now he was making the kind of choice no small child should be making. But it was also the kind of choice that, in reality, Star nor Augustine could be making for him. His small hands grabbed her back, wringing little loose strands of long brown hair in them.

'I can't go with you now, sis. If I stay, you'll be worrying too much about me. If I stay… I… I'll be able to help you too. You'll see. I'll become important, and help you… and Joker.. and all of the others. I'll be able to help everyone. It's not all that bad that I'm staying… right?'  
>Star wrapped her arms around the small boys, trying to ignore the shimmer of tears that was now across her own vision. Her brother was so little. So little and so strong. Much stronger than she could be. She wanted to say something, anything to make this easier on the both of them, but the words got stuck in her throat. Even swallowing was hard, and her stomach was filled with tickles and annoying butterflies as she tried to get her mind to get anything to say to this sudden decision.<br>'I'll miss you.' She said, eventually. 'I don't want you to go. I want you to stay. You're my kid brother, not that of anyone else. We should stay together, shouldn't we? Always, always together.'  
>She rested her chin on the top of his head, feeling that bony little guy in her arms. Keeping him safe had been the motivation behind so many of her decisions. She didn't know if she'd be able to keep on going if he wasn't there. At the same time, she couldn't leave Joker behind either. Her place was at his side now.<br>'I'll miss you too sis. But, we had to do this sometime, no? If I stay here, you won't be worrying about me every day.'  
>Star pressed a kiss on the top of his head, ignoring a tear that escaped from the corner of her eye. 'Well, don't think I'll be letting you get off so easily.' She warned him. 'I'll allow Joker one tour, before I force him to come back here. And when we come back, there'll be medicine again, and maybe a more comfortable way of traveling. Then you can come back with us again. That would be good, no?'<p>

George nodded, wiping his eyes as he pulled back. 'That would be great, big sister. After all, without me, you wouldn't ever be able to remain a true lady. So, you all need me.'  
>She wiped a hand across his face, smiling sadly upon her little treasure. 'You better be writing me a letter every day. And mind your grandmother. She's so sour and shriveled she won't know what to do with you.'<br>George let out a grim smile. He really didn't want to remain here, while his sister was going to continue her travels. He let his hand slip in hers, and when they rose, suddenly it hit Star that even though he was little now, it wouldn't be long before he started to get taller and stronger than her. It would be a shame if she wasn't around to see it. She hoped he would still be her little brother when she would be coming back.

They walked towards Augustine, hand in hand. The old lady watched them approach, seemingly wary of the two siblings when they stopped in front of her. George took the word, to Star's surprise. The boy wasn't exactly timid, but he wasn't very vocal around his grandmother either.  
>'I've decided to stay here… for a while.' He added the last bit hastily, to make sure she wouldn't think he would be around her forever.<br>Augustine looked at Star, asking for confirmation. Star shrugged, gaining a second before she had to test her voice.  
>'It's his decision. It was wrong of us to try and decide in his place. So, he'll be staying here for a little while, until we get the medical tent back running, and get ready to return here.'<p>

Augustine nodded, before giving George a friendly smile. 'I'll be looking forward to having you live with me, George. I already have arranged the best tutors available. Why, in only a few short months, you'll be the prime example of a perfect lordling.'  
>George nodded stiffly, grabbing his sister's hand even tighter. 'Thank you… grandmother.'<p>

From a little while away, Beast was leaning against one of the poles on the circus grounds, fingering her whip dangling by her side. Betsy the tiger could be heard growling not too far off. It seemed like the boy had done just what she had expected him to do. He'd be staying here, and his sister would be safely here, away from the ugly scenes that would pass in the days after they had left.  
>Right behind her, Peter and Wendy were watching too, the looks on their faces unreadable.<br>'We're really goin' through with this, then?' Wendy said, standing closer to Peter than was normal. Peter gave her a small clap on the back. ''Course we are. That's wut we do, right?'  
>Both looked at Beast. In absence of Joker's participation, she was the one in charge now. She nodded once, still tracing the whip at her side. She had expected to feel joy at Star's apparent distress. But now she had a sour taste in her mouth, and only a grim resolution to continue in this path.<p>

'We continue. Ye two, inform the others.' Peter and Wendy nodded, but before they could leave, Beast continued. 'And no word of this is ever to reach Joker. Nor Star. The two of them can never know what we are doin', got it?'  
>The duo nodded again, this time seeming a bit saddened. It was the first time they were doing this without Joker knowing it. Without him ordering it. It felt strange to them. And to the three of them, it also felt as if somehow this one day would be changing everything for them. None of them was prepared to say it out loud, and after a few seconds, the two left, leaving Beast to be haunted by her own mind.<p> 


	18. Spend the Night With You

|Saying Goodbye|

Star tied George's necktie for the sixth time in the past half hour. The boy let her, looking up at his big sister with watery eyes. Star's eyes were just as watery, making everything a blur. It would be the first time in over five years she'd be separated from her little brother. The thought of not being near him when things could go wrong tugged at her heart in a way she couldn't ignore.  
>'Hey little brother. You're gonna be strong, aren't you?' she asked him. Instead of correcting her in the way he always did, George bit his lip, nodding once. He wiped at his eyes once, quite fiercely.<br>'I will. You too, okay sis? Joker and everybody else is counting on you. So you can't mess it up. Y-you guys have to come back, okay?' Star nodded once, just as fierce as George had wiped his eyes.  
>She ran her hands through the young boys hair, pressing yet another kiss on his forehead. Augustine was watching from a distance, impatient without showing it. Though she longed to have 'Star' out of the way, she could grant the siblings some last time together. Joker stood on the other side of the field, leaning against one of the last carts to leave. His horse was waiting next to Star's. She still preferred to ride the black stallion that had earned the name 'Devil' for himself.<p>

Her pale fingers kept stroking George's pale cheeks, messing up and smoothening his hair time and again. Where other boys would have long protested this kind of treatment, he let it happen, not wanting his sister to leave.  
>'So… you can't grow too fast, got it? When I get back, I want you to be shorter than me. Otherwise I can't call you little anymore. Eat your vegetables, even if it's carrots. Some sweets are fine, but too many will make your teeth go bad.' She sniffed, looked at the little kid she had been raising for so long. 'Always mind your manners. Bathe regularly. Don't even think about riding a horse before you're twelve, I'll find out.'<br>George nodded at every single thing she said, even though he had been whining about learning how to ride a horse ever since they had joined the circus. He nuzzled his face against her hand, looking at her in unhidden adoration. They fell together in one last hug, clamping to each other as if they were about to drown. He wasn't her brother in blood, but he felt so much like her brother she didn't think she could have loved him more if they shared common blood.

She stood up, looking down at her little brother. They both nodded once more, and started to walk away backwards. When George reached Augustine, she took him by the hand, guiding him up in the carriage. The boy waved at them until he couldn't be seen anymore. By this time Star had reached Joker. The ginger touched her shoulder, cautiously.  
>She fell into his arms, sobbing loudly now that George was gone. It had taken her all to keep strong as long as he was there. Joker wrapped his arms around her, her head resting in the crook of her neck. His prosthetic was holding her pressed to him, his other hand running through her long hair as he made soothing sounds. When Dagger and Doll appeared to check on the last few carts, Joker shook his head at them when they looked as if they were going to come closer. Star probably wouldn't want anyone to see her so weak.<p>

She held onto his shoulders as if she would fall from the earth is she ever let him go. Joker's green eyes looked over the road to where the carriage had disappeared. He considered going after it, so he could bring back George and make Star smile again. But without any of the necessary medicine, the boy was doomed for certain. For all his magic tricks, Joker couldn't conjure medicine out of thin air. Instead he could only try to somehow lessen Star's sadness a bit. He pressed his lips to the top of her head, murmuring sweet nothings to her. Gradually her sobbing lessened, and she pulled back from him.  
>'I'll see him again, right?' she asked him. He nodded. 'Of course. We'll go back, soon as we get the chance.'<br>She smiled, and he pressed a soft kiss on her lips, to reassure her that he would make sure that she'd get to see her brother again. 'Ye don't have to worry 'bout a thing. We're just gonna get goin', and we'll be back before ye know it.'  
>Star nodded, and swung up on Devil. The horse neighed softly at her, and started off at an easy trot. Joker followed, and rode up next to her. He cast back one wary glance to where the kid had gone to. For some reason, the separation of the two had left him even more on edge than he could have imagined. Not to mention he'd miss the little one too.<p>

|The nearby town|

'Okay, let's get all of our stuff unpacked. It's a big day tomorrow, we've got time for one show, and then we move again!' Joker yelled out, riding back and forth to make sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to be doing. Star was still quiet, moving around as if she was some kind of robot. She helped with the unpacking of one of the carts, following instructions without ever really hearing them. Joker let out a deep sigh seeing her like that. Right now she was hurting pretty badly, and there wasn't anything that he could do to make her feel better. This wasn't the kind of pain you could fix easily with some flowers.

Dagger walked up next to him, looking past Joker's shoulder to where Star was walking back and forth. Joker started to walk further, to see to it that everyone was doing their job.  
>'She still ain't feeling better, huh brother?' Dagger asked, looking behind them, kind of worried. Star was absent-mindedly trying to untie one of the laces of her dress that had gotten caught between a pair of crates.<br>Joker shook his head, twirling his cane in his one hand as he looked at Snake, attempting to help some of the lower-string members with the setting up off their tents. The men were visibly nervous as they looked at the snakes, but tried their hardest not to run away, screaming like little girls.  
>'I dun think there's anythin' we'll be able to do to make 'er feel better.' Joker said, rubbing his skeletal prosthetic past his face. Star's expression had been so sad the entire day, he wished he would be able to cheer her up soon. This town was too small to have a proper pharmacist. They'd have to wait until they got to London before he would be able to get some medicine. Then they'd turn right back. Father would be able to support them for a bit, and then they could get working again.<p>

Unless Father would send them another request. That would cause trouble for sure. In the months Star had been with them, Father hadn't sent another letter. It wasn't out of the ordinary, there were plenty of other people also working for Father. But… it did worry him to know nothing about who was taken. Guilt wrenched his heart for a moment, as he looked at the ground. He had to do what he was doing, so he could keep his family at the workhouse safe. That was all that would matter to him. Not the lives of people he didn't know. He knew nothing about them. He would not care about them either.

'Could Star sleep in yer tent tonight?' Dagger asked him. Joker looked sideways to his brother, the flush in his cheeks intensifying as he heard that question. He started to stutter immediately.  
>'St-st-st-star? S-s-s-s-sleep in me tent? Why?' He'd assumed Star would huddle up with Doll tonight. They hadn't taken to sharing a tent yet. Star had been reluctant to leave her brother alone, and if she left now, Doll would be left all alone.<br>'Yer startin' to sound like one o' Snake's snakes.' Dagger chuckled. His blue eyes lit up from underneath his bangs as he continued. 'Doll says she wants to sleep wiv' me tonight. Thinks it'll be easier on Star if she were to sleep in yer tent. More comfortin'.'  
>Joker grew an even deep red. 'What are ye all suggestin'?!'<br>Dagger shrugged, and clapped his adopted brother on the shoulder as he started to walk away.  
>'Tonight she'll be coming to yer tent. Better be nice to 'er, eh?'<br>Joker stood there, thoughts about setting up the circus completely faded from his mind. Having Star in his tent… but… 'I need to go and get it set up. Neatly, it has to be neat.' He couldn't let his girlfriend sleep in a sty, now could he?

Dagger watched as Joker stood there in confusement for a moment, before running away, keeping his hat and staff in one hand as he rushed to the place where the first string tents were to be placed. He let out a chuckle as he watched the redheaded man jump over carts rather than take the way around, because he didn't want to lose a second. As he cast his eyes to the ground for a minute, he thought he could understand Joker a little bit. If big sister were ever to visit him in his tent, he'd be running to make sure everything was presentable too.  
>He started to walk towards the meet-up point, trying to ignore what they were about to do. There would be little sleep for them tonight, but it was true that Doll wouldn't be in camp to sleep with Star tonight. Having the woman sleep in his brother's tent was the easiest way to avoid questions for the time being.<p>

The sun was slowly setting, and the camp seemed to be tossed in fiery orange paint. Beast, Jumbo and Doll were already standing there. As soon as the others arrived, they'd be able to go through with the plan. He forced himself to think of it as 'the plan'. He wouldn't call it 'kidnapping George'. Then he'd think about the boy's smiling face as he threw around some of the little practice daggers Dagger had given him. George had been keeping it a secret from his sister, because he had wanted to impress her. And because she would've thrown a fit if she ever found out that Dagger had given her precious little brother something sharp to play with.

Doll looked away from the rest of them as she spoke. 'We're really doin' this then?' she asked. Off them all, she would probably be the one having the most trouble with what they were about to do. She had become such fast friends with Star and George, it was only logical she would be closest to them. Though none of them had ever know what Father did with the children they sent him, they could guess it wasn't a very good thing. Joker never commented on it when he came back from Father's mansion. If the children were… alive, he surely would have said something. There were so many sent to Father, it would have been impossible to miss them.

Beast's eyes hardened as she looked at Doll. 'We are doin' this. Joker would tell us to do this, if he wasn't so occupied with Star. We are doin' this 'cuz if there's a reason to do it, it's because what Joker really wants.'  
>Beast's voice had sounded hollow as she spoke. She was still trying to convince herself that this was indeed what Joker would do. She was right, but the knowledge of it didn't make things easier. In order to make the person she liked happy, she was prepared to go through this. In order to make her happy, Dagger would do it a thousand times more. Was there anything he wouldn't do for her?<br>When Peter and Wendy arrived, she nodded, and they all quickly mounted their horses. Nobody in the camp paid much notice to them leaving, thinking it was probably some first-string business. If they were supposed to be involved, Joker would have told them that they were to report.

|Joker's Tent|

Star stood in front of Joker's tent, slightly uncomfortable at the idea that everybody in the circus could see her going in when it was already dark. Thank God nobody was able to see how red her face was, because she was certain she was absolutely glowing in the darkness. She clutched her bag with her sleeping clothes and clean change to her chest a bit more, before pushing the tent open.  
>'Joker? I'm coming in!' she announced, stepping inside. The tent was lit up by candles, casting light everywhere. Star stood confused for a moment; she had never seen the inside of the tent so… clean and neat. Unlike usually, all the pillows were actually on the bed this time, and no clothes were spilled around the floor either. It looked like Joker had really don't his best to get things in order.<p>

'Ah, Star!' his muffled voice came from her right. When she looked, she could see him stumbling with a large pile of clothes in his hands, trying to look at her without dropping anything.  
>'I was just… cleanin'!' he said, leaning backwards when the pile moved in his arms. Star quickly jumped to his aid, taking over half of the pile in her arms. Joker looked at her with a warm smile, the make-up already washed from his face.<br>'Where do I put these?' she asked him, looking around. He pointed her towards the chest at the foot-end of his bed. When she looked inside the chest, she could see that none of the clothes in it were properly folded. She shook her head with a mild amusement. Even if he did try to clean up his room, there was always some kind of mess in Joker's private tent. And that for a man who insisted on cleanliness every single day.

Having disposed of the dirty clothing, Joker sat down on the bed. When Star approached, he pulled her down on his lap, supporting her weight by getting her feet of the ground. She held on to him, but quickly settled in. Looking in his beautiful green eyes, she was almost able to forget about her brother for a while. Joker stroked her hand as he told her about what he had done during the day.  
>'We've got a new member to perform.' He announced, tracing her fingers one by one. 'His name is Suits now. He's serious, and can't really handle a joke, but he's pretty talented. If yer not careful, ye'll end up losin' to him.' He said, warning Star.<br>She smiled, and tapped his nose. 'Somehow I don't think I'll lose you to him. Unless there's something you haven't told me yet?'  
>Joker let out a laugh, throwing his head in his neck as he did so. 'I didn't mean it that way! I meant, he might become a first-stringer. Where'll that leave ye?'<p>

She smiled, pressing a quick kiss on his lips. 'I think that'll leave me in pretty much the same position I am in right now. And I don't really see a reason to object to that position.'  
>He pressed a kiss in her neck, and she could feel the smile that was contained in it. She let out a giggle, and tried to get away. With a playful growl he grabbed her around the waist, keeping her on his lap. He nuzzled her neck softly, his hands securely keeping her where she was. When he gave her a love bite on the back of her neck, she let out something between a giggle and moan, arching her back against him.<br>She turned in his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. Her warm lips landed onto his, and he returned the kiss in full vigor. They had far too few moment alone like this, far too few moment when they could fully lay a claim on each other that couldn't be denied. He nibbled her lower lip, and she smirked in the kiss. Her small hands pushed him down on his back, laying on the bed with his legs still over the side.  
>She shifted one of her legs, straddling his waist as he lay beneath her. She looked down at her lover with sparkles in her eyes. He took a small revenge for this by letting his hand slip up her skirt. She gasped, grabbing his hands and putting them above his head.<p>

He beckoned her closer for a kiss, and she obeyed, still keeping his hands locked above his head so he wouldn't be able to repeat what he had just done.  
>She was vaguely worried about how more serious this seemed in comparison to the previous times they had been fooling around. But the few kisses and caresses they had been able to sneak without being interrupted hadn't been enough for either of them. Joker bit his lower lip, drawing Star's eyes to that point. Before she could protest, he had flipped her around, leaving him on top. With a mischievous smile, he slowly slid his prosthetic across her thigh again, keeping her hands pinned down with his other hand.<br>She moved her abdomen a bit, giggling out of embarrassment and because he was tickling her by moving so very lightly alongside her skin. She slipped her hands from his grip, and started to slowly undo his yellow tie firstly, fighting to keep from laughing to loud as Joker's hand kept ticking her leg.

Joker and Star never had a clue what else was happening that evening.


	19. Fateful night

|Augustine's Mansion, George's Room|

George was still wide awake, even though he had heard the clock strike midnight a little while ago. Sleep wouldn't come easily to him in this new room his grandmother had given him. It was big enough to fit the entire house he and his big sister had occupied in Bath. He turned on his stomach, looking at the faint glow of stars coming from behind the curtains.  
>Tears sprung to his eyes as he looked at the light, thinking about his big sister. He wondered if she was able to sleep right now. Had she been thinking about him all day too? He grabbed the teddy bear that was lying next to him, the one she and Joker had gotten him for his birthday. He missed the tall redheaded man as well, because he had been so kind to him and his sister. In a way, Joker was the big brother he had always wanted. Even if he hadn't said it out loud, he did hope Joker and his sister would get married. He'd work hard here, and when he was rich, he could pay for the circus. That way they could all live happily ever after.<p>

A sound reached his ears, a muffled thud as if someone had dropped a sack of flour on the ground. He wondered what it could have been. He hadn't thought that anyone would be awake at this hour in the mansion. He wiped away a lock of hair that fell in his eyes. Augustine had said that tomorrow they would get his hair cut, and new clothes made. They would also be sure to gather all of his tutors, and he needed to tell everyone what he liked to eat.  
>He didn't think being a Lord would be that much fun. But if it was to help his friends, his family, he would just have to be an adult and, in the words of Dagger, 'suck it up'. He still wasn't too sure about the sound that he had heard though.<p>

After a moment of thinking a bit longer, the young boy got up, lighting the candle next to his bed. He snuck to the door, being as quiet as possible. Grandmother Augustine hadn't really clarified anything about bedtime hours, but he assumed she wouldn't be pleased if he snuck around this late in the night. And he didn't want her to be cross with him from the very first day.  
>It was cool in the house, but not unpleasantly so. He pulled his nightcap over his ears with one hand, lifting the candle with the other one. He looked around, left to right and left again. There wasn't anyone to be seen in the corridor where his room was. There wasn't even a sound to be heard. He figured that if the sound he had heard had really been a sack of flour, they probably would carry things to the kitchen. He should take a look there, just to be on the safe side then. Even if it was nothing, he could go and say hello to the people who worked in the kitchen. The sooner he knew everybody in the household, the sooner he'd be able to write his sister about them.<p>

He knew where the servant stairs downstairs was. It was really narrow and steep, but he liked it better than the grand stairs that led down. For one, he wouldn't feel so exposed in the dark of the night sneaking down. And the servant stairs were closer to the kitchen as well.  
>He opened the door, silently muttering some words he had Joker yell once when Dagger had hit his thumb with a hammer. He wasn't really sure what they meant, but they felt pretty good to say when things weren't going the way you wanted them to go. And he really did wonder why donkeys would do that with their balls as well.<br>The stairs were really more narrow than he had imagined. To be on the safe side, he sat down on one step, and so slowly moved down so he wouldn't fall. The house was really quiet again. By the time he was down, he started to doubt himself. Maybe there hadn't been a sound at all? Maybe some branch had tapped his window, and he had heard wrong. With a slight shudder, he pushed open the door. When he peered around the corner, he could see light coming from the kitchen door. He smiled slightly, relieved that there were indeed people awake at this hour. He rebuked himself mentally for being such a scaredy-cat.  
>'That isn't how big sister raised you!' he mumbled to himself, walking towards the door on his bare feet. The wooden floor felt nice underneath his feet, as he walked through the splashes of moonlight that came through the windows. The trees just outside the window seemed to be black, almost skeletal without their leaves. An owl hooted, and George could see it sitting on one of the branches. Judging by the way the branches were shaking, it was at the verge of storming outside.<br>He flinched when he saw his reflection in the mirror. The apparition's mouth opened and closed, and he saw his own knees shaking. It looked like a gaunt ghost, just as afraid of him as he was of it.

He reached for the door knob, hoping the house wasn't actually haunted. You never knew with dead people, he thought. His father had haunted him in his dreams when he had been younger. Maybe his ghost was around here somewhere, waiting to pounce on him and finish what he had tried so many years before.  
>The door swung open silently. At the counter, just next to the door, a young woman was sleeping on top of the batter she had been preparing. George was a bit sad for her; even if his grandmother wanted to give him a big welcome feast, it wasn't necessary for it to be so big that people had to work in the middle of the night to prepare it.<br>'Madam?' he asked, his voice strangely echoing in the kitchen. The moon was obscured behind some clouds at that moment, but he could still see she had wonderful, golden curls coming from beneath her cooking cap. His hand reached out to hers, touching her warm hand, before he slightly patted it.  
>'Madam? My name is George. Madam?' He took a step closer to her, before he stepped into something cold on the floor. Had she spilled milk, or something like it? Looking down, he saw he was standing in a dark puddle. Had she spilled chocolate milk?<br>'Madam?' he asked again, more urgently. His heart beat in his chest as he knew with his young mind that something was going on. He placed his other foot in the liquid too, as the clouds moved away from the moon. He took her warm hand more tightly, and moved it away from her face.

He shrieked, stumbling away. The woman's piercing blue eyes had been staring vacantly at his face, her freckles contrasting with her pale skin. And below that, just above a tiny cross dangling from a copper necklace, there had been a cut in her throat. The puddle beneath her was blood. He stared at his own footsteps, seeking support at the kitchen table. He screamed, before stumbling to the door.  
>He had to get away. Had to, had to get away. Get the adults. Adults knew what to do. His grandmother would know. She was the eldest. He told himself to run faster, almost slipping from the blood on his feet. Why hadn't it been chocolate? Why, why was this happening?<p>

Nobody answered his screams. No concerned servants came to check on his desperate wails as he ran towards the grand stairs in the main hall. They should have come though. He was screaming to loud, he thought his voice would give out soon. When he came into the hall, there was someone standing a few steps up from it. He recognized the costume, before he saw the face.  
>'Doll!' he screamed, making for her. She stepped down the steps, looking sadly at the young boy. He didn't stop, didn't question, but wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her stomach.<br>'Doll, what's happening? There's a dead woman! She's dead!' he looked up at Doll, tears streaming down his face. He shook her back and forth when she didn't react to him, before taking her hand, trying to take her up the stairs, to his grandmother.  
>'Doll! We can't stay here! They'll be coming after us soon!'<p>

Steps sounded behind them. When George looked up, he saw Dagger coming down from the stairs, a big, black sack in his hands.  
>'Dagger?' George asked. Why were they here? They were supposed to be with his big sister in the circus. They were supposed to be far away by now, and only come back when they had medicine. They couldn't have made it to a town with a pharmacist already, could they?<br>'Dagger… why are you here?' George asked, still holding Doll's hand firmly. Dagger looked down at the small boy with the same sad look in his eyes Doll had.

'We have to do this?' Doll asked, softly. Outside, the wind was whipping up even more, the trees tapping the windows. Moonlight whirled violently on the staircase, over the faces of his friends. She didn't once look at George, but kept her gaze firmly on Dagger.  
>'Don't have a choice, right?' he replied, just as softly. He was on the step just above George now, the boy in between them.<br>'Do what?' George asked, his voice quaking silently. There were other sounds in the house now, people screaming. Somewhere a cabinet crashed down, and he thought he saw Peter and Wendy pass upstairs, carrying a torch with them. The two looked at him, a faint passing glance, as if they didn't recognize him at all.  
>'Do what?!' he screamed at Dagger. The man looked down at him, with the saddest smile that George had ever seen. He bent his knees, bringing his face to the same level of George's. The boy looked in his eyes, shaking as he let go of Doll's hand. Dagger put a hand on his head. George could feel the warmth of the man's hand through his nightcap. Tears kept streaming down his face.<br>'I'm sorry, George. We have to take ye. It's nothin'… nothin' personal.' A tear crept down the man's face as he said it.  
>George slapped him, before he tried to get away. Before he could even take a step, Doll had grabbed him by the back of his shirt, and tossed him in the big sack. He screamed at them, crying to them to let him go. The sack was being lifted, and he kept screaming and crying, before someone opened the sack.<p>

Beast's dark brown eyes were the last thing he registered before the cloth with chlorophorm covered his face. He tried to fight the sleep, but he was gone, before he even knew it.  
>'Everything else finished?' Beast asked. The others nodded once, before Dagger handed the sack to Jumbo. The man would ride to the meet – up point, and drop off the boy.<br>They would never see him again.

|Joker's Tent|

Star lay nestled against Joker, her head on his chest. She had fallen asleep after had stayed up chatting, but the crack of thunder had woken her op again. She listened to the wind outside, howling as it passed the circus encampment. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Joker still smelled vaguely like cologne, but now the smell of sweat and lovemaking was heavy in the air as well. It was a surprisingly nice smell, putting her at ease more quickly than she could have suspected.  
>She drew the blanket over her naked shoulder, pondering over what had happened tonight. Joker had been tender, constantly fussing and reassuring her. Until the tenderness had passed for passion and a need to be with her. Once that had started, her giggles had been drowned out in moans and pleads. She suspected Joker's back had seen some damage from her nails, the way he had done his best to make sure her first experience would be a positive one. She hid her face against his chest in embarrassment when she thought about what they had done.<br>The movement woke the ginger up, causing him to look down at the woman who was hiding her face in his chest. 'Ye're up?' he asked her, using his free arm to wipe his eyes. She looked up at him, redder than she had ever been before. After she nodded, he asked "Hey… what's up with that look? I… I didn't 'urt ye, did I?'

Star started to laugh as she covered them both up with the blankets. 'No, you didn't hurt me. I… liked it. All of it.'  
>Joker grinned, looking pleased with himself and his feats of the night. He dropped back in the pillows with a sigh, grabbing Star closer with his other arm. 'That's good. How are ye doin'?' he asked, this time referring to the fact that she had had to part from her brother the day before that.<br>She looked worried, before taking on a grim expression. 'I'm worried about him, of course. But I can't always protect him, and for now it is better if he stays there with Augustine. Until we get the medicine.'  
>'Soon as we got it, we'll be goin' back.' Joker assured her, mussing her already messed up hair. When she tried to shake off his hands, he quickly stole a kiss. When he retreated, she quickly grabbed the sides of his face, forcing him to come back to her. He complied willingly, happy to give her her way in this. He rolled on top of her as he started to bite her neck softly, drawing soft gasps from her.<br>'Again?' she asked sweetly, slightly raising her hips towards him. He drowned her in another kiss, a hand cupping one of her breasts tenderly.  
>'Again… and then again…' he mumbled against her mouth. There was a slight stubble on his cheeks, nearly non-existant. He brushed the side of his face against her, and she could feel how he was ready for her, whenever she would need him.<p>

'Joker…' she sighed, his mouth tracing tiny kisses down to her breasts. He liked to do that, just to give her a bit of pleasure. His hands traced her sides, never removing his head from her breasts. His warm breath stroked her belly as he breathed heavily. She moved her hands over his lean back, his shoulders, any place that she could reach.  
>He traced his lips over her, up and down but always returning to her mouth. He could never abandon his sight, being able to look in her eyes. She was just as enthusiastic, and far more impatient than him. He couldn't help but grin when he noticed. 'There's no rush, is there?'<br>'No.' She admitted, lifting her body closer to his. She didn't understand why he didn't hurry it up a little bit more. Wasn't he happy with this, like she was.  
>'We've got time, Star. As much as we want. I don't need to rush. Ye're mine, as much as I'm yers. And I – ah!' he gasped when she started to nibble on his earlobe. He liked that a lot, as she had discovered the evening before. 'Ye little minx!' he gasped to her, using his prosthetic to lift one of her legs a bit higher. 'I'll teach ye.'<p>

Star shivered when she could feel him entering her just a little bit. When he kept still there, she gentle pushed herself against him. The look on his face told her he liked the feeling. She moved again, getting him in a bit deeper. She blushed registering how nice it felt to do this with him. He brushed some hair away from her cheek with his good hand, the gaze on his face loving.  
>'Ye'll learn, my Star.' He told her.<p> 


	20. Smiles

|London, Two Weeks Later|

'This way please!' Star shouted, directing people into the circus tent. For now, she had to help with the ticket sale, and after that she had to help Joker present the show. Faintly she touched the love bite hidden beneath her costume, just above her breast, as she blushed. When a young boy with an eye patch approached her, she gave him a dazzling smile.

'Hello. Can I have your ticket please?' she asked him, holding out her hand. She looked up surprised when a tall man in a suit handed her two tickets instead.

'Here you go.' He told her pleasantly, a faint smile on his face. Deep brown eyes looked down on her. She marveled a bit at his height before smiling back.

'Thank you sir! Be sure to enjoy the show!' she yelled after the two of them, before turning to the next costumers.

|The day after|

'So, where is this new recruit you were talking about, Joker?' Star asked, her hand tracing his sleeve as he inspected one of the carts. Devil, the horse, stood in a meadow nearby and snorted once before trotting proudly away.

'He should be 'ere pretty soon.' Joker replied, wiping some cold sweat from his brow. Winter had really started to kick in again, covering the entire circus in a thin layer of snow. Star was grateful that she had Joker to lie next to at night, so she could snuggle up closer as the cold crept in on the land.

As soon as Joker had said that, a tall man came walking up to the grounds. Star immediately recognized him as the one who had smiled so nicely at her the day before. When she asked Joker why he was coming for them, he told her that he had been tired of working for a very cruel master for so very long.

His eyes crossed hers for a second, and she somehow found she had to swallow. The man just looked so very intimidating...

They had only just finished exchanging pleasantries when a young boy came running up to them. As Joker handled the talking, she could swear it was the same boy as yesterday, only this time in more run-down clothes. When the boy asked for a place in the circus as well, Joker agreed if the boy could do some tests. She stood next to the boy that had called himself Finnian and gave him a small pat on the back.

'It will be quite alright.' she encouraged him. 'I had to do it too. When you feel like you won't be able to do it, just tell us.'

He looked just a few years older than George, and he had the same kind of big eyes with a mature look in them. She worried about her little brother. It had been two weeks, and she had already written him a letter but was still awaiting his reply. Of course it would be hard to send a letter to people who were always on the move, but surely George would try to send her a message, wouldn't he?

A few practice rounds later, Joker clapped the boy on the back, laughing. 'Ye're good, aren't ye? I'll hire ye, but only on one condition.'

The boy looked up at him in surprise, thinking he had already passed all of the hurdles necessary to get in. 'What?' he suspiciously.

'Smile! If ye're gonna perform, ye have the smile.' Joker said, showing a toothy grin as an example. He pointed at Star when he continued talking. 'Trust me, she had a problem with that too, and now she's me trusted partner. Show us a smile then!'

The child seemed to hesitate for a moment, before unleashing one of the most charming smiles Star had ever seen. He looked so huggable at that moment she had to clutch her hands to her chest. 'Adorable!' she thought to herself.

Joker wasted them no time in baptizing them 'Black' and 'Smiles', the latter to the amusement of the other people that had gathered around to watch. She watched as the young boy's face flushed at the name, and grew even redder when Joker decided to separate him and Black.

Star watched how Smiles seemed to be disturbed at how Black was being taken away from him, and put a hand lightly on his shoulder. The boy tensed up at the touch, looking at her in a way that suggested he wasn't that fond of being touched.

'It's alright, Smiles. You'll be sharing a tent with Freckles. He's one of the most reliable people you could ever have around you.' she told him, carefully hiding Doll's identity and gender from him. Doll would like to be able to sleep with someone in a tent again, and Star was well aware of how lonely the girl had been at night now that George was gone and she was sleeping in the same tent as Joker.

She cast another look at Smiles, deciding that she might as well talk about it now. 'Smiles... You were at the circus yesterday, weren't you? Though you weren't wearing the same clothes as you are now.'

The boy stiffened up, sapphire eye looking up at her like a rabbit trapped by a fox. He waited for her next words, looking as if he would sprint away if they were the wrong ones. She looked around her and lowered her voice a bit.

'It's okay. You're not really a servant boy, are you?' The way his eye grew bigger and his mouth slightly opened as if he were about to cry for help were all the information she needed.

'I won't tell anyone.' she promised, trying to look as sincere as possible.

He closed his mouth again, not saying anything at all. She gave him a sad smile. 'You talk just like me, a little bit on the fancy side. That and your clothes yesterday gave it away a bit.' Her hand went towards his face, giving a sad tap on the side of his eye patch. 'I understand why you would want to run away, even if you have almost everything.'

She guessed he got hurt the same way she and George would have gotten hurt. The way George's mother had been hurt by her father. 'You were right to escape that. But here, nobody will hurt you. We will protect you, if you want us too.'

His look grew harder when she said that. 'What could you know?' he asked her defiantly. He had the air of someone who had needed to look out for himself, and who would be willing to go through any kind of length to preserve his life. Looking down at him, she guessed the name 'Smiles' was a really bad fit for someone like him. Every trace of the sweet, innocent boy begging for a place was gone.

She continued walking, slowing her pace so he could walk next to her. 'I won't tell anyone. Not if you don't want me to. But, if you need help... Well, you can always come to me.' she said, before they encountered Doll, who was only to thrilled with her new tent mate.

|A Few Days Later|

Star walked towards big the tent, trying to see if perhaps she could find Smiles. Joker wanted to learn the boy how to juggle, and maybe put him in a nice clown costume. People would go crazy over someone as cute as Smiles in that sort of colourful outfit.  
>She had the impression the boy tried to avoid her as much as possible, even if she had only tried her very best to be nice to him. He reminded her a bit of George, so she had been trying to take care of him like a brother. Maybe that was what had scared him away.<p>

She stopped walking when she saw Black and Smiles near one of the carts, the latter wrapped in a towel. The boy was shivering, talking to Black.  
>'Smiles?' she asked, running up to the two of them. They looked at her as if she had interrupted something important, but those looks were very easily ignored. She started to rub the young boy's dark hair with the towel, scolding.<p>

'Really now! What are you thinking, running around in freezing weather like this? Don't struggle so much, young man!' she warned him as she kept up the rubbing. Black looked on amused as she pulled the boy close to her, rubbing his face as she did so.

'I need to get you all warm! It would be horrible if something bad happened to you. We are your family now, Smiles. It's okay to be mommied a little bit, once in a while.'

The boy's blue eye looked at her as if he was annoyed and unused at this kind of treatment. As he opened his mouth to say something, he coughed. Star didn't realize what had happened until something warm hit her cheek. At once Black had scooped up the boy, taking a rapid pace to the medical tent.

Star touched her cheek, looking at the fingertip with faint horror. Blood was smeared on the fingertip, just like there were splatters of it over her outfit.

'Smiles?' she thought, astonished.

When Smiles finally woke up, she, Doll and Joker were impatiently waiting for him to wake up again. Black was standing to the side, not once looking away from the frail boy.

'Perhaps I should have said something.' Star thought to herself, as the boy slowly came back to the waking world. He was more like George than she could have imagined. Luckily the doctor had been able to treat his asthma attack. 'I really should have told Joker that he might not be able to work as hard as the others.' Joker would have listened to her... and after she had stopped talking, he would have admonished her.

She felt ashamed when she realized how Joker would have told her that people, all people, can be strong when they have to. She had no right to take away the chance Smile had at being strong, at forging his own place in the world. As the people around them gathered around Smiles in happiness, she gave Joker a kiss on his cheek.

He grinned proudly when she did it. 'What was that for?' he asked, giving her a tiny one back on the nose.

'For being here for me. And for being smarter than me, every once in a while.' she replied, eyes closed with enjoyment at Joker's reciprocation.

He blinked, looking at her with a twinkle of amusement. 'Every once in a while?' he asked her. He put an arm around her, pulling her close. His body was warm against her, and she leaned her head against him, content at being in his presence.

'I'm usually the smarter one of the two, you know.' She sounded quite coquettish with that remark, and Joker ran a quickl tickle along her side as a punishment. She pressed her body closer against him, feeling at peace with her place in the world. Her place at Joker's side.

|After The Next Show|

'Hey, 'as anyone seen Smiles?' Doll asked as she entered the tent were most of the First String had gathered. Peter and Wendy shrugged, continuing their game of cards with Jumbo. Star was lying at Joker's feet, reading a book to Snake who seemed to be engrossed with listening. The only ones missing were Beast and Dagger, the first probably being followed by the second.

'Can't say I 'ave.' Jumbo said, scratching his nose. He laid down his cards, showing the two troublemakers that he was playing with that he had won.  
>'Tsh, ye always win.' Peter commented, shuffling the cards again. Wendy said nothing, but kept a stern look on Doll.<p>

'Ye should keep a better check on that boy. He's trouble.' she announced.

Star felt a chill running up her spine. Did they know what she knew about the boy? Surely they didn't. They would have had him in her care without caring what either one of them thought. Her voice faltered as she continued to read to Snake. One of his snakes whispered something in his ear, and he cocked his head to the side.

'He was seen with Black... Says Goethe.' the man announced, before returning his attention back to Star and the book.

Doll shrugged, saying she had figured as much. Valentine cast the girl a worried look. 'What's wrong, Doll? Did you two have a fight or something?'

Doll shook her head, looking as if she herself had some confessions to make. 'No, not really. It's just that... 'e's been really withdrawn, and it was worryin' me. A kid like that should be merrymakin', not looking as if he 'as the whole world to carry in front o' 'im.' She had taken a shine to the young boy, that much was obvious.

The others kept quiet for a bit, before Joker tapped the seat next to him. 'Sit 'ere Doll. Ye shouldn't be worryin' this much. He's gone out for a breather, and before ye know it, he'll be back.'

Doll looked at the space Joker was offering her, and then looked back outside. With a small voice she finally replied that she'd come back, after just one more look outside. Just one more quick round of the grounds, to make sure that her friend had not done something stupid, or had gotten sick again and was now lying somewhere in the dirt.

Star started to read out loud again, but her head wasn't really with it. Instead she worried a bit about Doll, and her own affectionate feelings for the young boy. He had looked so fragile, but at the same time very certain of himself. She wondered where he had gotten of to.


	21. To The Rescue

|A Few Days Later|

Star stretched out in the big bed, curling her toes under the covers as she let out a big yawn. She was alone in Joker's tent, listening to the quietness of the still sleeping camp around her. She rolled on her belly, running her left hand through her hair as she felt around on the ground in search of a shirt. She had to go and wake up the first string members, and then get the second string members in charge of food started on breakfast.

'Have to … get up… where are my socks?' she asked aloud, almost falling out of bed as she reached around with her eyes closed. It was easier to get out of bed if Joker was around, since he usually threatened to push her out of the bed if she tried to sleep in. Eventually he had actually pushed her out of the bed, claiming it was an accident afterwards. She'd gotten revenge by 'accidentally' kicking him in her sleep. He still didn't believe her afterwards, but let it slide, just mussing up her hair a bit.

She wondered why Joker had gone away without giving her any warning beforehand. It had been the day after Smiles and Black had disappeared. He had seemed fairly normal in the morning, but during the day he had grown more brooding. He'd been talking with Dagger in hushed tones, stopping his sneaking around whenever she got close enough to try and overhear them.  
>And then in the evening he had just announced he would be leaving in the evening. She had protested loudly at this, not caring if anybody heard them. Joker had placed his finger on her lips, hushing her just as soon as she had flared up.<p>

'It's just for a little while.' He had promised her, looking at her with gentle, green eyes. 'It won't be very long at all. I'll be back before ye know it.' He gave her a soft push on the nose at that point, trying to look very strict with her.  
>'While I'm gone, ye better make sure to take care of things, okay Star?' he had asked her, raising an eyebrow.<br>She'd shuffled her feet, looking at the ground. 'I've been helping you with all your chores recently, haven't I? I'm sure I'll be able to do things just like you do them.'  
>He'd put his arm around her shoulder when she said that, giving Dagger and Doll who were standing close to them a wink. 'Ye hear that? Star will be managin' most o' the things here while I'm gone. Do yer best to help her, okay?'<p>

Star let out a sigh when she finally managed to put on some socks and a clean shirt. Her hand trailed the small vanity Joker had in his tent, a finger slowly following a crack in the wood. His bowties were arranged neatly, colors clashing with each other in a way that would be expected of a ring leader. Make-up containers were standing about, with the eyeliner and black make – up he used to paint on his face, and hers as well.  
>'I wonder how Smiles is doing?' she asked herself, thinking about the young boy. He had seemed like someone who was in pain, uncertain of just what his place in this world really was. On top of that, the way he had been sick so suddenly had reminded her of her little brother in an almost painful way. She hoped that he was doing okay, wherever he was.<br>She pulled her hair up in a ponytail, keeping a look in the mirror as she worked until someone coughed at the entrance of the tent.

'Come in.' she answered, grabbing a pair of gloves from the chest near the bed. Dagger walked in, arms thrown behind his head. Already fully dressed and wide awake, he tried to grab Star in a hug. She ducked for a belt, leaving the man's arms grabbing in the air as she did so.  
>'Staaaar…' he whined when his arms only caught air. 'Brother asked me to take good care of ye, so why are ye avoiding me?'<br>'I doubt Joker thinks assaulting me in the morning is part of taking care of me.' She yawned, tying the belt around her waist. Dagger watched her, pouting at this comment.

'Well, at least ye're awake this time. Yesterday I still had to drag ye out of bed.' He commented with a big grin.  
>Star squinted at him, trying to scare him into stopping to talk about things that weren't important for today. 'That doesn't mean that you have to keep checking in on me just to make sure I'm awake. I'll do the things that I need to do to keep things running smoothly while Joker is away. So just trust me, Dagger!'<p>

Dagger let out a sigh at her outburst, keeping his arms in the air as he shook his head back and forth. 'Just cuz' ye're the ringleader's sweet'eart don't mean ye can take things easy, ye know? That's why Joker asked me an' Doll to keep an eye on ye. Just to make sure ye'll be doin' fine.'  
>Star huffed her bangs out of her face, crossing her arms in front of her. 'I know that… but it would be nice if… you know… if I could already do stuff like this on my own. You and Doll have enough to worry about as it is. You don't need my work on top of it.'<p>

Dagger patted her on the back as he walked to the entrance. Before ducking out again he gave her a smart wink, tapping the side of his nose slightly. 'Don't worry about it. Workin' with the two of us, it's nice. C'mon then. Lots of people need wakin' up after all.'

|Later That Day|

Star looked over one of the old newspapers the second string members had brought in. The paper had a variety of uses in the circus, but it couldn't hurt to keep her reading skills on par a little bit. This one dated around two weeks ago, and she flipped through it as the other papers were being torn to shreds.  
>'Sheesh… no matter where or how, a lot of the news just keeps being the same.' She muttered between her teeth after seeing the umpteenth party announcement.<p>

She dropped the paper on the pile next to her, reaching for the next one. The headlines blared out something about missing children in the country.  
>'What a shame.' She thought to herself, perusing the paper in search of the full article. She skimmed through it, looking for the important information. Doll and Jumbo were standing near her, listening to her as she told them what the paper said.<br>'Seems like somebody is kidnapping a lot of kids descending from the noble families. From all over the country at that, it's like the guy who's doing this sure has a lot of time to move around. And on top of that, they're killing of pretty much everyone who's in the house the moment they take the kids. Talk about not being subtle at all.'

Jumbo grunted something, in a way that suggested he didn't really listen to anything she was telling the two of them. Doll on the other hand kept a steady eye on her friend as she was talking.  
>'There's a list with the missing children as well.' Star continued, started to read through the names. While some of the names were unfamiliar to her, her gaze grew a little darker when she recognized the name of the family from when she still was a noble.<br>'B-b-b-but…' she stuttered as she reached the next line in the paper. She started to shake her head back and forth furiously, causing Doll to step closer and lay a hand on her back when she saw the distress on the face of her friend. Tears welled up in her eyes as she crumpled up the paper with her tight grasp on it.

'I don't believe it.' She said, shaking her head as she fought to keep back her tears. Maybe if she didn't cry, she wouldn't… it wouldn't be real. If she could just deny it.  
>'Star? What's wrong, Star? Please tell me.' Doll asked, trying to get a look at the papers Star was holding. Star had begun to teach her how to read, but she wasn't at a level for actually reading a paper yet.<br>The young woman finally let her tears fully flow, fleeing into Doll's arms for comfort. 'George… George's name is in the paper with the names of the missing children!' she cried out, letting out her emotions in painful sobs.

'Star…' Doll muttered under the weight of the woman. Jumbo looked to the sides, obviously not comfortable with the situation. Even Peter and Wendy had quieted down from their usual ruckus when they saw Star was crying. A few glances were enough to communicate the news among the first string members : she knew her brother was missing.

|Half An Hour Later|

Star had gotten in control of her emotions again, or at least that was what she was trying to tell herself. In truth she was still shaking from sadness and a surprising amount of anger. Someone had taken her little brother away from a place which she had thought was safe. Which had been supposed to make that nothing bad could happen to him. Somebody had hurt her little brother.

She wanted to scream in anger and cry in despair. She couldn't think straight anymore in this kind of situation. Finally her digging fingers found what she had been looking for. She looked at the mechanical contraption she held in her hand. It seemed to be smaller than when she had been using it to keep herself safe so she could keep take care of her little brother.

She tied the mechanic knife to her wrist, slapping the button on the side once quickly. The blade whipped out in a short swoosh, smooth as ever. She looked down at it, before selecting the clothes least likely to stand out. Once she had changed, she looked in the mirror. She almost looked like the girl that came straight from the streets again. Almost. There was a certain leanness, a quickness in her eyes that had been created in this place.  
>Perhaps she would be better suited for a rescue mission than she had thought.<p>

Once outside she quickly made for the meadow they had rented for the horses. When Devil saw her approaching, he whinnied at her. She took out a saddle, wasting no time in getting it on the black horse. It sensed her mood, nervously stepped in place a bit. She swung her leg over the horse, turning him towards the fence gate.

'Star, wait!' Doll yelled, waving an arm as she ran towards the girl. 'Where are ye goin'?' she panted, placing her hands on her knees as she gulped for air. Her one eye looked up at the woman who looked as grim as death, seated on the tall, black stallion.

'I'm going to find my brother, Doll.' She answered, gathering the reins more firmly in her hand. Devil's broad back between her legs was warm, reassuring her of the speed and strength the animal could muster. 'I'll go back to Augustine's mansion, and look for clues there. If I can't find something there, I'll look elsewhere. Somebody must know something, someone must have seen anyone. If I'm not back before Joker gets here… tell him I… Well… he'll know.'

Doll grabbed Star's leg, throwing her full weight against the horse. Apart from a soft whinny, Devil gave no sign he even noticed the girl pushing against him.  
>'Star… I know where George is.' She whispered, barely moving her lips as the warm vapor of her breath parted from her mouth.<p>

Star steadied Devil, looking down at the girl in surprise. 'What do you know, you know where George is?' she asked, not believing her ears. Tears welled up in Doll's eye as she looked up to her. Star had considered Doll to be a sister, someone she could trust. And now she claimed to know where George had been taken to?

Doll swallowed once, looking at the laces on Star's shoe as she talked. 'Ye 'ave heard us talkin' about Father, haven't ye? That's where George is. That's where all those kids are. Father asks us to take them, and bring them to 'im.'  
>Star looked down in surprise, not able to utter a single word.<br>'Joker didn't take 'im, I promise! He didn't know! But Father told us, and if Brother disobeyed… That's why Beast told us to do it.'

The knuckles of her hand turned white as Star gripped the reigns in a tight clench. Things went white in front of her eyes, and she didn't quite believe what she had just heard. Joker, take children? Beast, take George?  
>'I'll deal with Beast later then. Tell me where I can find your father.' Star growled. As soon as she heard where she could find the man who currently had her brother, she galloped away from the circus.<p>

|In the Country Fields|

The moon had just started to climb the horizon as Star kept Devil on a straight course towards Kelvin's mansion. The horse kept a good pace, but even so, he couldn't run for hours. The moments when Star was forced to grant the horse some respite were the moments when she was biting her nails down to the very flesh, touching the little switchblade at her wrist for reassurance.

'Joker… what have you been doing? Why did you do it?' Would he have taken her brother to please his father? How many had he already taken? What happened to them in that mansion? Was her brother already dead?

Devil's warm body was the only thing keeping her warm. When he slowed down to a trot again, she tried to gain her bearings from the surrounding countryside. She was going the right way, but with no discernable landmarks, it was impossible to see how far it was to the Kelvin place.

The sound of a horse-drawn coach rattled behind her. She gently urged Devil to the side of the road to make place for the coach, but let out a scream when something knocked her from the horse. A gloved hand quickly covered her mouth, and dark brown eyes looked down at her in vague amusement, glittering in the moonlight.  
>She recognized Black swiftly, before he forced her towards the coach. The boy leaning his head out of the window was one she recognized quickly as well. Smiles.<p>

'Are you going to report to Baron Kelvin that we found him out, Star?' the young boy inquired, his blue eye dazzling in the moonlight. Black let go of her mouth, leaving her gasping for air. Devil trotted behind them, pressing his nose against the tall man's back.

'What do you mean, going to report to him? I have a bone to pick with that man. What about you, Smiles? Did you go back to your family?' she retorted, ignoring the slight pinch Sebastian gave her in the small of her back.

'You shall address the young master as Earl Phantomhive.' Black suggested helpfully. Star whipped her eyes back to the black-haired boy. 'Phantomhive? You mean the Queen's Watchdog? You? You're just a runt, you're hardly older than my little brother!'

Black gave her another pinch, before receiving the order to shove Star in the coach with the Phantomhive child, after which he took his at the front again. Devil trotted behind them, having been bound to the back of the coach quickly.  
>Smiles – Earl Phantomhive – looked at her intently, without giving any hint of what he was thinking. Finally he said something.<p>

'What kind of bone could you have to pick with the Baron?' he inquired, folding his hands on the top of his staff.

'He has George. I'm going to get him back. And I'm going to ask Joker what the big idea was, why he did the things he did. Why are you going there?' she asked back, leaning back in the cushions. At least it seemed like they were going the direction she had wanted to go.

'It's like you said. I am the Queen's Watchdog. I am under orders from her Majesty to go and find the missing children and the person responsible for taking them. You're lucky I can't count you as an accomplice, seeing as how your brother has also been taken.'

Star showed a sad smile when the young boy spoke so harshly to her. 'Smiles… I was worried about you. Maybe you should leave this to me. I can take care of this. It's going to be dangerous. Wait outside the mansion, and let me go inside alone. I'm sure I'll be able to manage.'

Phantomhive showed her the first real inkling of a terrifying smile when she offered her protection to him. 'I think you are quite mistaken, Star. If anything, I and Sebastian shall be the ones who will do the managing. You'll be lucky if you can come inside with us.'  
>The boy looked straight ahead of him, as if he could already see his destination and the outcome of the entire affair. Star almost felt afraid under the dark glare coming from the boy.<p>

'Even if you say that, young Earl… I am still responsible for my family. I will be the one to go and find George. I will be the one to deal with Joker. And if it is necessary, I will also be the one to handle you if you seem like you are letting things get out of hand.'

Phantomhive leered at her now, slightly squinting his eyes at her serious tone. 'Will you know?'

'Yes.' Star replied, smiling back at him. 'And you can begin by fixing your scarf.'

|Moon's Note : There is a poll concerning this story on my main page. So, if you want to have a say in how the story ends, be sure to check it out, okay? Also, review! Let me know what you think about the story! It's almost done, so take your chance!|


	22. Empty Shadows

|Kelvin Mansion|

The rest of the ride was passed in an uncomfortable silence, being rendered a bit more tolerable when Star fell asleep. When they arrived at the mansion, Star was violently jolted awake by the sudden movements the coach made at the beginning of the drive way.

'Get out.' Ciel ordered her, inclining his head towards the coach door. The boy seemed to look fresh, as if he had just slept in a four-poster bed instead of being jostled around in a coach. Not a strand of hair was out of place, while Star had the uncomfortable feeling that she had been drooling in her sleep a little bit.

'What are you talking about? I'm going in there with you.' She said, giving the young boy a nasty look. As Smiles he had reminded her of her sweet brother, but now she found nothing of George's kindness at all in that piercing blue eye.

'The young Master would be quite inconvenienced by your presence, miss Star.' Black told her as he opened the coach door. He held his hand out to her, seemingly innocent but giving off the vibe that he would not see a single problem if he had to kick her out of the coach by force.  
>'We do not have the time nor reason to look out after you when we go inside. There is no telling as of yet what kind of man the Baron is, nor what he would do to you if we were to let our attention slip for a moment. Please wait outside while we go inside. If possible, we will return your brother to you.'<p>

Star snorted as she descended from the coach, ignoring the gloved hand that was being offered to her. 'Fine then, if you will not take me with you, I have no choice but go in there alone to look for my brother. I came here to protect him and have a good talk with Joker and his 'Father', and I am not leaving before I do so.'

The butler cast a quick glance to the young boy. Ciel observed her in the moonlight, as if he were considering how much her life was worth in comparison to his mission. He slowly shook his head towards the man clad in black.  
>'Let her go, Sebastian. I doubt she will be getting in our way, and she may prove to be an added benefit as an element of surprise. If she manages to get in.'<p>

Star made a sarcastic curtsy to the young man, making sure to put as much dismay in it as was physically possible. She had been a thief and small-time burglar for years before she had been picked up by Joker's troupe. If the boy thought she could not get into the mansion unseen, he would be rather sorely surprised.  
>'No need to worry about me, Master Ciel.' She replied sweetly, putting special emphasis on the boy's title, making clear that she did not consider him to be a master at all. 'I will get in, find my brother and do everything that needs to be done, before you and your butler make your way out of the house. Now, with your pardon.'<p>

She straightened her back, turning towards the looming mansion in front of them. The world was still dark, dawn hours from breaking. It should not be that hard to get in. Most people were probably sleeping in there. Judging from how rundown the place looked, the staff would be minimal at worst. Piece of cake, she thought to herself.

The coach driven by the butler rattled past her, through the open gates. She could hear Devil whinnying behind her. Somehow that smug butler had found time to tie the stallion to a nearby tree for her convenience. She snuck past the gates, but instead of following up the road as the coach had done, she immediately headed into the thicket, creeping her way up towards the mansion. She could see the coach pulling up to the front of the house as she slowly approached, trying to steer to the sides of the house as much as possible.

The trees and bushes in the garden had been badly kept, growing wildly across the grounds. Though it made the moving hard, she doubted anybody looking from the house would be able to see her sneaking closer. When she had gotten as far as she wanted to, she looked at the mansion with a critical eye. Something which she judged to be the kitchen was built lower than the rest of the house. If she could get up that, she might be able to climb up higher on the adjacent tower. She was uncomfortable with having to guess about everything, but she couldn't really afford to spend a lot of time checking out everything little by little.

She made her way across the courtyard with her heart thumping in her throat, head bowed toward the ground in case anyone should be awake and looking out of the windows tonight. Nobody called her out, and when she got to the kitchen, she could see the windows were covered in cobwebs.  
>That was just plain strange. Who in their right mind would leave cobwebs spread around their home like this? She bit her lip, trying to decide if going in through the kitchen would be a smart idea or not. On the one hand, it would save her a harrowing, vertical trip. On the other hand… what if it wasn't so deserted as she thought it was?<p>

Star touched her wrist, where the little knife was attached to her body. If necessary, she could stab whoever tried to stop her from going where she needed to go. At least, in theory. It would probably depend on the situation. But having the option to do so was quite nice in itself.

She took a deep breath, counted to three and placed her hand on the iron door latch. The door creaked open in the loudest, most obnoxious way anyone could imagine. It seemed to her it was crying out to the Baron that someone was breaking and entering into his home.  
>She waited for a few seconds, keeping the door open with one hand, taking shallow breaths. Nobody had reacted to the infernal noise the door had been making. She snuck inside, gently nudging the door back closed again. The hinges protested again, loudly enough almost to wake the dead.<p>

With the door back closed, Star turned around again, looking around the kitchen. A single candle was burning, and the room smelled of food, as if someone had cooked not too long ago. She wondered who had been in need of a midnight snack. Where the surfaces were not covered in dust and soot, they were covered in greasy streaks. Remnants of food were scattered about, instead of having been swept up and deposited in the bin. Whoever the cleaning lady was around these part, she really was not putting any effort in her job.

Trying not to disturb the cutlery that had been discarded on the floor, she moved a few paces to the door leading inside the mansion, keeping her head low as she moved. As soon as she was near the door, she relaxed a bit, thinking one of the hardest parts was over and done with.

She stifled a scream.

Something had bumped into her when she entered the doorway, something small and warm and breathing. She managed to keep the scream inside, only breathing hard. An emaciated child stood in front of her, seemingly not surprised at all on bumping into a stranger this hour of the morning. Hollow eyes looked up at her, the voice sounding hoarse as the question was posed to her.  
>'Good morning. Are you a guest?'<p>

Star's eyes widened, as she tried to stammer out yes. When she finally had managed to wrangle the word out of her throat, the child nodded slowly. Dark green eyes, seemingly glazed over, looked at her without really seeing her.  
>'Do you want to see your room?' the child asked again. Star decided it was a girl, though she couldn't be certain. The dirty blond hair was cut shaggily, and the make-shift maid outfit hung loosely around the skinny frame.<br>'Uhm… yes. Please, bring me to my room.'

The child turned around, walking through the corridors slowly. Star picked up a candle from a nearby table, but put it back down again when she noticed that there wasn't any lit one available to light her own with. Instead she had to follow the child in the near dark shadows, sometimes nearly tripping about something that had been discarded without care.  
>'What is your name?' she asked the child. The girl stopped walking in front of her, looking at the ground. The first ripple of emotion was noticeable as she crinkled her nose at the question. 'My name?' she repeated, hardly audible.<p>

A few moments passed, though they seemed to be endless in the dark. Finally the girl started to move again, as if she had forgotten the question. Perhaps she had, Star couldn't be sure. Perhaps the girl was one of the children the Baron had kidnapped? That could mean George was walking around here too, looking ghastly as he wandered the dark halls, without knowing who he was. The girl did not look like she knew exactly what she was doing. If she was allowed to walk around without anyone supervising, that must mean that the Baron knew she would not run away.

'Why don't you run away?' Star asked again. This time the girl kept on walking, a hand against the wall as if she was unsure if this was the right way.  
>'I have no place to return to.' She replied, kicking a broken cup away with her dainty feet. There was no emotion in her voice, no pain or sadness at this notion. 'Everybody who was there is dead.'<br>'There are people who are looking for you.' Star told the girl. 'There are people who are worried about where you went.'

The girl ignored this comment as she stopped in front of a door. The door was dusty, except for the door knob which shone in the light. 'Wait here for a minute, please.' Star asked the girl.  
>The girl slackened her posture a tiny bit, which Star assumed was her way of showing that she would obey this order. Star opened up the door, letting it swing open to the inside.<p>

The room was lit by a singly candle, though it had nearly burnt out. There was not as much dust in here as there had been in the rest of the mansion, as if the room saw more frequent use.  
>Two children, a boy and a girl were sitting on the bed, dressed up like dolls. Their hands were folded in their laps, their golden blond hair shining in the soft candle light. Their eyes were just as hollow as those from the girl that had brought her here.<p>

Star walked up to the bed. Before she had reached the children, they got up. Star slowed her pace as she children came closer, taking one of her hands in theirs.  
>'Welcome, dear guest.' The boy whispered, as he pressed a kiss on her hand. He didn't look up, nor did the girl.<br>'Would you like to rest with us?' the girl asked, kneeling down towards Star's shoes. Before she could protest, she had already unlaced one, and moved towards the other. Star knelt down, taking the girl's hands into hers.

'No, no, I don't have time to rest.' Star said, trying to look into the girl's eyes. The girl surprised her by wrapping her bony arms around her neck, pressing her lips onto Star's.  
>Star fell back, shocked. 'What are you doing?'<br>'We are here to welcome the guests.' The girl answered. The boy nodded, walking closer to Star. He stopped near her, and tried to kiss her as well, bending over towards her. Star stopped him, standing back up. The boy looked up at her, his eyes still empty.  
>'We only want to please the honored guest.' The boy told her. He would have made such a beautiful child, if only there had been a smile in those eyes.<br>'Let us please you. Father will be angry with us, if we do not.' The girl pleaded to Star.

Star looked back to the open door, towards the girl in the maid outfit that was still patiently waiting outside for her. Then she looked back to the two children that were dressed up to look like dolls.  
>'You know… there is a way to please me. Come with me.' She said. The children took her hands, looking down at the ground while they walked.<br>'You too. I will be very pleased if you bring me to where the other children are.' Star said. The little maid looked up at her, almost dreamily. She made a mechanic curtsy.  
>'Yes. There are some children in Father's favorite place, but most are in the basement. Where would you like to go?'<p>

'Bring me to where the most children are.' Star commanded. The children's hands were cold, almost frigid. The whole place seemed to be almost nightmarish. Every once in a while, a candle was placed on a low table, but for the most part she had to walk around in darkness. The children were quiet, not even flinching if they almost tripped on something in the shadows. Twice Star was the only thing keeping the boy from keeling over.

The corridors seemed endless, and Star imagined rats and other undesirables scurrying around in the dark. The children showed fear about just as much as other emotions, until Star felt as if she was the only one with a pulse, leading the ghosts of dead children by the hand.  
>Twice they went down wooden stairs, and now they stopped near a narrow, stone one.<br>'The children that are not yet perfect are here.' the maid announced.  
>Star assumed that with 'not yet perfect' the girl meant that the children in there were not yet fully deprived of any emotion. She took this as a good sign. When she prepared herself to go downstairs, the young maid grabbed her by the lower part of her shirt to stop her.<br>'The Big Man is down there too.' She said. 'He doesn't like visitors.'

Star looked down, towards the creeping shadows waiting to swallow her as she went down.  
>'I'll be fine.' She said, though she did not know why would try to tell these children that. They didn't show any concern for her. 'Just wait here, until I come for you.'<p>

The two girls made a clumsy curtsy, while the boy bowed stiffly for her. Star moved down the stairs, not wasting any more time trying to talk to the children. She could not even hear them breathe behind her. At least they cast a shadow, or she would have indeed thought that she had been accompanied by ghosts. As she moved down, she could hear slight sobbing, sometimes with a high-pitched wail that was broken of rather quickly.

At the base of the stairs, she pressed her back against the stone wall. A large man was sitting with his feet on a flimsy wood table, peeling an apple with a knife. The fire behind his back was the only source of light in the room. The room was filled with iron cages, where she could see small bundles huddled with white arms around them. Sometimes the light caught the glint of an eye, or a stream of tears. Star did a quick count, and guessed there had to be a little less than fifteen children in here. She wondered how many more there were across the mansion.

'Will ya stop yer whinin', ya lil' runts!' the man yelled, before belching once loudly. 'Don't make me take of me belt.' The last part of the sentence was smothered in the apple he started to chew.  
>Star started breathing through her mouth, in order to make as little noise as possible. She didn't know what the man did to the children exactly, but the things she was guessing at were bad enough. Her eyes darted around the room, before stopping on a poker that had been left lying in the fire.<p>

The man didn't seem to be paying a lot of attention, munching on his apple. He belched once, scratching his belly as he did so. Star slowly slid across the corner, her back loosely against the wall. There was no sound when she moved. Perhaps if the children had been less engrossed in their misery, they would have seen her sneaking across the wall, perhaps given her away. But no eyes locked on the figure that crossed between light and dark, towards the fire.

When one of the children started to sob more violently, the man raised himself from his chair. Star froze for a second, but when the man started to move towards the sobbing child, Star couldn't stop herself.  
>'Bastard!' she yelled out.<p>

The man turned around, surprised at the sound of a woman's voice. He was met halfway his turn with a searing red poker, smacking him across the face. He fell back, screaming in pain. This caught the attention of some of the children, who started to look around to see what was happening to cause 'The Big Man' to make sounds of pain.  
>'Wott in the Seven 'Ells are ye doin'?' he yelled, trying to scramble back up.<p>

Star shoved him back down with one of her feet, towering over him. The fire painted ghastly shadows over her grim face as she looked down on him in disgust and rage.  
>The sight and sounds of these children had been enough for her. Not only for George, but for every child that had been made to suffer, she would exact payment. The shadows in this house would no longer scare her.<p>

'I believe they call this justice.' She announced, slamming down the poker into the man's pleading eye.

|To my dear readers : the next chapter will be the last chapter! Yes, that's right, soon this story will be finished. Soooo, in my announcements to make : So far, the happy ending is leading with one vote. That's right, just one vote. To the person who asked in the anonymous reviews, I will be counting votes you make there as well, because it would be rather unfair to force you to make an account just so you could vote on a poll.  
>And secondly : I want reviews! I hardly ever ask for reviews (be fair, how many times have I told you people to review me?) so take your chance and do it! Anonymous reviews are of course also welcome, since again, it would be unfair to force people to make an account just so they can review stuff.<p>

Thirdly : I have an Archive Of Our Own account now as well! Nothing much is different about it, seeing as how I will upload the stories I write here there as well. But, you know, some extra views and kudos on there wouldn't kill me – I hope – so… hint hint, nudge nudge, and wink wink? My name there is Angelprincess01!

Have a lovely day!|


	23. Joker's Choice

|Moon's note : Okay people, last chapter up! Since the majority voted for a happy ending, this is the happiest ending that was realistically possible in my eyes. I hope you enjoyed the story, and I hope you will continue to support the writers of your favorite stories in the same way you supported me.

Special thanks to : Joker, for being the doll he is, Star, for being such a strong character in my mind, George, who was amazing to write, RedAppassionata, Little – Kitty – Momo, VivianKeinz and Sweetdreams705, and all the others who have read my story.

I wish you a very, very wonderful day, month, year and life|

|The Basement|

Star looked down at the big man lying at her feet, loose strands of dark hair hanging in front of her face. She was gasping for air as if she would never be able to breathe again, the heat of the fireplace beating in her face. Behind her back the voices of children murmured through the air. The woman took a few more moments to compose herself, before looking behind her.

A rough, tin key was lying on the crude desk. She grabbed it in one fist, taking big strides towards the cages. The tiny figures scattered to the back of their cages, not trusting the newcomer in the least. Star looked around her feverishly, trying to find the one person that was the most important at this moment.

'George, are you there? George?' she tried to say, her voice coming out as a feeble squeak. None of the children answered her. 'Please George… it's your sister…' she continued in a whisper. She didn't think she would be able to cope if her little brother didn't answer her.

A sudden inhale of breath at her right startled her. Looking that way, she could see a small boy looking up at her in confusion.  
>'GEORGE!'<br>She almost couldn't get the key in to unlock the hole, her hands shaking as if she hadn't eaten or slept in days. When she got the lock off, she scrambled in the cage, gripping the young boy in her arms. She broke down in a sob as she pressed her cheek against the top of his head. A girl in the cage next to that of her brother watched the ongoing scene with disinterest.  
>'You're alive!' she mumbled, over and over again, pressing him against her.<p>

When she finally noticed the boy not responding to the hug, she pulled back. She swiped away his bangs, to see what the matter was.  
>Cuts and bruises were visible all over his face. A black eye seemed like it had just begun to heal, and she could see the damage went on below the shirt as well. In her brothers face there was no sign of recognizing her, not a trace of happiness at seeing his sister.<p>

'George… it's me. Star. It's your sister.' She whispered, her heart pounding against her chest.  
>'Sis…ter?' he asked slowly, voice drawling out as if he couldn't remember the word. Star nodded, trying her hardest not to start crying.<br>'Yes, sister! I came here for you, George! I'll get you out, don't worry.' She said. The boy still looked her, the first dawn of recognizing on his face. Still the message didn't seem to register fully to him.

She slowly coaxed him on his legs, before turning to the other cages. George stood just inside his, watching as she unlocked the other doors. She soon discovered that her brother had been the easiest to persuade to get up and ready to leave the room. Several of the children crept away further back into their cells the moment she opened the lock, looking at her intensely until she moved away from them again. They never made an attempt to get out of the doors themselves.

A soft voice stopped her before she reached the second last door. Looking up from the door she could see a young girl with black curls looking back at her.  
>'Please wait before you let William out. He'll try to bite you if you're not careful.' The girl was missing her two front teeth, but seemed to be relatively unharmed past that.<p>

'Oh…' Star said, walking over to the girl's door first.  
>'You are here to rescue us, aren't you?' the girl asked. When she stood up, Star could see she was more around the age of fifteen than the younger children. As soon as Star unlocked the door, she took her savior's hand in hers, squeezing it once. Her hand was icy cold, rags draped around her in order to preserve the most body heat.<p>

'Uhm… yes.' Star replied. The girl didn't seem to be very much in the same state as the younger children. Catching on to Star's bemusement, the girl cast a bitter look to the tall man lying on the ground with the poker still jammed in his eyes.  
>'I was too old for the Baron. I was his reward.' She spat the words out, before straightening her back.<p>

As the children saw the black-haired girl out of her cage, they started to come closer, hesitantly. Not one of them put a foot outside the iron railings. The girl held out her hand for the key, before walking towards the young boy that was supposed to bite other.  
>He came out hesitantly enough, taking the girl's hand gingerly. He looked at Star once and bared his teeth. George was still holding the side of his cage, as if he might drop through the ground if he let go of it.<p>

Once the children believed that nothing bad would happen to them for stepping outside, they started to climb up the stairs, following the oldest girl. She stopped only once, to kick the dead man she had been awarded to for proven services.  
>At the top of the stairs, the three other children were still waiting. With a group of a little less than twenty people, Star thought it would be better not to take them with her on a search for Joker and his Father.<p>

'Could you take them outside? There's a black horse tied to a tree outside the grounds. I'll meet you all back there, once I'm out of here…'  
>'My name is Rachel.' The girl answered, holding two children by the hand now.<br>'Rachel. Wait by the horse, try to hide nearby. Don't come out of your shelter unless you see me. There could be other people, friends of the Baron, out there.'

Rachel nodded once, before she started off again.  
>'Rachel… There are a lot of empty bed chambers around here. It's cold outside, so try to take as many blankets as you can outside.' The girl nodded, before she walked off again.<p>

Star followed the directions she had managed to coerce out of the child-maid, before sending the girl after Rachel and her brother George. She didn't know what she was going to do with a bunch of children, but for now she didn't doubt they'd be better off outside than inside.

She wandered around the hallways, trying to ignore the growing multitude of doll parts arranged all over the place, arranged to look like children and mutilated bodies. When she came across a room with a decked table, she decided she must be on the right track. Traces of blood where on a stage in front of the room.

'This place is giving me the creeps…' she tried to mutter in a singsong voice, before realizing that the two actions were not as compatible as she had wanted them to be. How did Joker manage to come to this place, still thinking that 'Father' was a good person, a person he wanted to help. Finally finding the grand ornate steps she had been told to look for, she descended slowly. She thought she could hear talking from behind the doors.

She took a deep breath, slipping out her small knife as she pried the door open as little as possible. Once big enough for her to slip through, she did so. In an arena shaped hall, she could see Joker and the little Ciel Phantomhive listening to a man in a wheelchair. His imposing butler was the only one who noticed her arrival, casting her a quick wink as she entered. The man in the wheelchair was so engrossed with his speech that he didn't even see her descending the stairs so she could be near Joker.

She had wanted to start screaming at the man she loved the moment she stepped in. Until she saw how clearly he was being torn between a sense of doing the right thing, and doing that which he believed to be right. His smeared make-up betrayed he had been crying not much earlier.  
>With a step light as a cat, she snuck up closer, until she was only a few feet away from him.<p>

Before she could take the last few steps as slowly as she had hoped to be able to, things started moving. Ciel pulled out a gun and shot the Baron without blinking. Joker froze for a moment, before pulling a knife that had been hidden in the prosthetic.

'Sebastian!' Ciel's voice rang through the air. The man clad in black took to Joker with a knife. Valentine decided in that instant that whatever Joker's crimes had been, she wanted him to live. She wanted him to live a happier life, where the lost lives would be remembered but not weighing him down forever.

'NO!' she screamed, rushing for Joker with outstretched hands. The man looked to the side, surprised to hear the voice of his lover in this place. That moment of confusion allowed Star to push him aside, trying at the same moment to ward of the butler.

A flash of pain seared through her left hand. At the moment it happened, she hardly noted it. Joker fell to the ground, underneath her. Dazed she brought her hand in front of her face.  
>The phalanx from both her little finger and ring finger had been severed, along with half of the top of her middle finger. She looked at her hand, vaguely wondering why she wasn't feeling more pain than this. She thought she could hear Joker say something to her, but she had trouble focusing on his face. After a few seconds she could make out what he was shouting.<p>

'Star! Star! Don't faint, okay? Stay with me!' For a moment, everything around them was forgotten. Questions swam in his eyes, how she had gotten here, did she know everything, how angry was she? She brought up her bleeding hand to the side of his face, feeling woozy.  
>'You've been an idiot… I told you I was the smartest one of the two.' She forced a faint laugh when she said it.<p>

'Stay still! It's goin' to be okay! Everythin'… Everythin' is goin' ta be fine!' he shouted in a panic.  
>She forced another laugh at his sudden distress. For some reason, the pain wasn't really all that bad. 'It's just a bit of my fingers… You lost a whole hand once… I'll live…'<br>Even as she said that, black was eating around the edges of her vision. She shook her head, willing them away. Joker wrapped her in his arms, sitting on his knees. She didn't think she would be able to move much just now.

'Don't kill 'im!' Joker shouted. He was pleading for the life of the man who had once saved him. As Star listened to his tale, she could understand his feelings. She wanted to tell him how it wasn't his fault, not all of it. He had been wrong, but he shouldn't torture himself this way.

Ciel spoke to him also. 'Why are you feeling bad? You have given everything for a dream you had. In this world there are two kinds of people, those who dream and those who take the dreams away. Right now, I am the one taking your dream away. It's your choice what you are going to do right now.'

When the Doctor suddenly burst in, she had hope for a faint moment. Until the man explained how he also was an accomplice of the Baron. When the Doctor spotted Star, he smiled for a short moment.  
>'If you're quiet and cooperate, Joker, I'll make sure to patch her right up. Maybe I'll give her some small prosthetics as well?'<p>

'ARE WE NOTHING BUT TEST SUBJECTS FOR YOU?' Joker yelled at the man. Star fought to remain conscious as his hot tears fell on her face. She had to watch in horror as the Doctor killed a young girl on the altar, in front of their eyes. The sight made Ciel lose his mind, causing the boy to scream, ordering the butler to kill everyone.

The man obeyed his Lord at once, setting fire to the place. Star saw the Baron getting killed in front of her eyes. Joker's arms tightened around her, not wanting to let her go, but not wanting to let the Baron's death go unavenged either.  
>Star lifted her scarred hand once more, the last time she had it in her. 'Joker…'<p>

Joker stared up at the face of the man he had once dubbed Black. The fire the man had started blazed the air around them, wildly tossing clothing and hair around. The little boy that had once smiled so wonderfully at him now looked upon him coldly. Star had gone limp in his arms, her bloodied hand falling away from his face.

'What will you do about your precious dream, Joker? Will you continue to cry, or will you grasp the last straw of light that has been granted to you?' the boy asked, as the tall man looked down upon the kneeling Joker with a light smile.  
>Joker followed the boy's gaze towards Star, feeling the weight of a decision bearing down on him. He looked at the face of his dead Father, frozen in a bizarre grin in his last moments. He could feel how the memories in his head demanded to be heard, could feel them tearing holes in his soul and resolve.<p>

Star stirred in his arms. He looked down in surprise, grasped by a feeling of tenderness he had seldom felt before. Avenging Father would mean giving her up. Avenging Father's death would mean leaving her to die.  
>Tears streamed down his face once again as he thought about how to face this choice. The child kept looking down on him, seemingly undisturbed by the flames consuming the house.<p>

'Will ye save her… if I were to die?' he asked, trying not to choke on the hot air. Soon she would have to be gotten out of the manor. Ciel narrowed his eyes at the question.  
>'I am allowing you to save her. That is the only chance she will have.' Joker sobbed, pressing his face against her head, burying himself in her hair.<p>

'I choose her!'

|Outside the Manor|

As soon as Joker had made his decision, Sebastian walked his master out of the manor. He looked down at his master with a glance of surprise.  
>'Are you certain it is wise to let them live? There is a chance he will try to avenge his fallen comrades.'<p>

Ciel avoided the look of the demon. 'I had no choice. To kill him was to kill her.'  
>'Have you grown to care for someone?' Sebastian sounded almost incredulous.<br>Ciel didn't look at the demon as he was being placed in the coach. 'She cared for me.' he muttered softly.

|A Year Later|

Joker watched over the graves of his fallen friends, as they were being covered by the snow. He had grown withdrawn in the past year, from Doll and George, even from Star. Every day he struggled with what he had done. Even now, he felt the urge to march over to the Phantomhive estate and demand some kind of retribution.

The only thing that stopped him was the thought of what Star would say. That, and the thought that his daughter would have to grow up without a father as he had done.  
>He slowly made the way back to the mansion. Star had taken over affairs as head of the house until her brother came of age. After that, he would manage the affairs of his mother's family, while she would continue as the only true heir of her father. Joker had become known around these parts as the new Lord, a title that felt strange every time someone pressed their knuckles against their forehead when greeting him.<p>

He still felt chills when he realized that in saving Star out of the fire, he had also saved their child. The little Catherine had probably already been conceived in her mother's womb when he had carried Star out of the burning Kelvin mansion.  
>He felt guilty, about not being as close to Star as he had once been. But still, he could not bring himself to look in her eyes just yet. He shrunk away every time he passed George in the hallways, and couldn't think about what might have happened to Catherine, the daughter who was just now getting her first few tufts of bright red hair.<p>

An man looked at him as he passed by. A huge grin showed on his face, as his long white hair fell down the front of his undertaker outfit.  
>'A look like that could scare death out of a corpse, young Lord.' The man said, with the undertone of a chuckle.<p>

Joker said nothing, but kept walking. The man followed him, not breaking a sweat at the pace the redhead set.  
>'It's a shame, really. Too many people are worried about the dead folks, so worried that they forget the living.'<p>

Joker glared back over his shoulder. 'What are ye talkin' about?'  
>How could he not think about poor Beast, who had died doing something Father had ordered them to? Should he forget about Dagger, who had died protecting the woman he loved? Obliterate the memory of the family he had once had?<br>'If you are so busy thinking about those who have passed on, you forget about the important ones that can heal you. Not completely, not immediately. But you have to allow the hurt to fade, Lord.'

Joker turned away, almost saddened by those words. 'Am I supposed to forget them then?'  
>The white-haired man smiled an incredibly large smile at that. 'No. You're supposed to remember the happy times you had with them, and cherish the happy days you have with your family right now.'<p>

Joker turned around to say something else to the man, but saw nobody around him. He looked surprised, before trekking back home.

Once he arrived, the young woman called Rachel opened the door. He winced once when he saw her stern face fixed upon him.  
>'The ladies are upstairs, in the little one's bedroom.' She told him. She always told him where they were, even if he never went to see them. But this time the stranger's words seemed to echo in him, as he nodded once before walking up the ornate stairs.<p>

He could hear Star softly singing a silly nursery rhyme to the baby. Sometimes George would join in, but mostly he was just muttering nonsense at his niece.

He looked inside the room. Star, dressed in a dark green gown, was standing at the window, looking out over the snowy landscape, probably trying to see where her husband had wandered off to. George stood next her, gazing at the baby adoringly. Further down the hallway the sound of the playing children that had been rescued from the burning mansion could be hear.

He walked towards her. She didn't move immediately towards him, but when he was close enough to lean against him, she did so. He looked over her shoulder to the hardly awake baby.  
>'You're back.' She said softly. He gazed down at her, for the first time in a long time seeing how beautiful she exactly was in his eyes. He took her left hand, the one that had been damaged in saving him, and pressed it against his cheek.<p>

Her mouth formed a surprised 'o', before she smiled and pressed a kiss on his cheek. George surprised him by taking his other hand. He surprised them even more by not flinching away. And then Catherine opened her eyes to look at him with a crow of laughter. Her blue eyes were exactly like her mother's. Just like the smile on her face. He felt a little bit more healed, a bit more like a whole again. Perhaps the stranger had been right. It wasn't wrong to enjoy the life he had now. These were the people he had to treasure now, without restraints or regrets.

He leant his head against Star's, looking down on his small family.

'I'm back.'


End file.
